


Shipboard Romance

by teej_318



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, But most of canon ignored, Cruise Ship, Disney cruise, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair are best buds for life, El Hopper loves Max Mayfield, Elements of canon present, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay El Hopper, Gay Max Mayfield, Gay Mike Wheeler, Gay Will Byers, Getting Together, Happy Joyce Byers, Hard workers Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, Jim Hopper loves Joyce Byers, Jonathan Byers loves Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers loves Jim Hopper, M/M, Max Mayfield loves El Hopper, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Mischievous Dustin Henderson, Nancy Wheeler loves Jonathan Byers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reluctantly mischievous Lucas Sinclair, Soft El Hopper, Soft Max Mayfield, Soft Mike Wheeler, Soft Will Byers, Summer Love, Tags May Change, Tired Jim Hopper, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, breaking up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 53,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22063891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: One summer can truly change everything. Especially when it's the summer before your senior year of high school, and your friends end up together on a Disney cruise, where friendships and romance both blossom.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Karen Wheeler/Ted Wheeler, Robin Buckley/Original Female Character(s), Will Byers & Eleven | Jane & Dustin Henderson & Maxine Mayfield & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 27
Kudos: 90





	1. Prologue: The Day We Met

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paladinscleric](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paladinscleric/gifts).



Mike leaned his head against the window of his mother's station wagon, staring off into the distance. It was a warm September day and it was the first day of school for both Mike and his sister, Nancy. Nancy was entering the third grade, while Mike would be starting his first day of kindergarten. 

Although Mike had heard Nancy talk about school almost non-stop ever since she started attending school, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive at the concept. Nancy frequently talked about the many friends she had made while attending school, and Mike had asked his mother what friends were.

"Well, honey, they are people you spend time with when you're at school and sometimes when you're at home," his mom had explained. "They're someone you can play games with, tell stories with and even share some of your secrets with them. A friend is someone who cares about you like the way Daddy and I do, and you should care about them the same."

While Nancy had made it sound easy to make friends, Mike wasn't so sure. He never really got along well with any of the kids in the neighborhood. None of them liked the same things that he liked, and Mike always found it hard to relate to any of the other kids. He had no interest in sports, or doing things like fishing and hunting. Mike was more interested in reading books, watching movies and coming up with cool stories to tell people, his family being his primary audience.

As his mother drove the car into the parking lot of the school, Mike lifted his head from the window and sighed deeply, dreading going inside the feared building.

"Come on, Mike, cheer up," Nancy said as she reached down to pick up her backpack. "As soon as you meet a friend, you're gonna have a lot of fun at school!"

"What if nobody wants to be my friend?" Mike asked solemnly. 

"Why wouldn't someone want to be your friend?" asked Nancy, looking at her brother as if she were worried sick about him.

Mike shrugged his shoulders as his mom brought the car to a stop. She turned around in her seat so she could face Mike. 

"You just need to be patient, Mike, and give someone a chance to become your friend. I promise you, it's not as hard as you think it is. You'll see when you meet a friend. Now, let's get you inside so we can meet your teacher, and you can see where you're sitting."

Mike nodded wordlessly at his mother before he picked up his new Star Wars backpack, and opened the door to get out of the car.

As soon as he was out of the car, Mike hurried over to his mother and grabbed onto her hand, afraid of getting separated from her once they were inside the building. 

Karen led the kids into the building. Since she had been in the school many times before, Nancy walked with confidence, looking around and waving at some kids she recognized. Mike, meanwhile, kept his eyes glued to the ground as they walked through the hallways. Soon, they reached Nancy's third grade classroom, where Nancy stopped Mike and Karen from going inside with her.

"I got it, Mom," Nancy said with an air of confidence. "I've been to school before and I know how it all works. You don't have to come in with me."

Karen sighed before she smiled and bent down to give Nancy a kiss on the cheek.

"All right, sweetie," she said in a resigned tone. "You go on in there and have a great day. I'll see you later after school."

Nancy nodded at her mom before she turned to Mike and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It'll be okay, Mike. Trust me, you'll make a friend today and you'll forget all about being scared."

Mike shrugged as Nancy turned and walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind her. 

"She's right, sweetie," Karen said as she grabbed Mike's hand again and pulled him down the hallway toward his kindergarten classroom.

Mike still kept his eyes focused on the ground in front of them as he walked with his Mom to his classroom. His heart was pounding hard and he was starting to have a headache. He wasn't sure if he was going to make it through the day, but decided he had better power through it, in case his Mom and Nancy were right and he would find a friend.

All too soon for Mike's liking, they reached the kindergarten classroom. Karen led Mike into the room, which was about half full of students Mike's age. Most of the students were sitting at desk squares of four, although some of the chairs were empty since school didn't start for another 15 minutes.

Karen led Mike over to the teacher's desk. Mike's teacher was a middle aged woman with blonde hair and glasses. She looked to Mike like she could have been a young grandmother, and she gave Mike and Karen a huge smile when she saw them approach her desk.

"Good morning and welcome!" the teacher said in a sing song voice that made Mike's heart leap. 

_Maybe this place won’t be so bad_ , he thought. 

"I'm Mrs. Sinnes and I will be your kindergarten teacher this year. And what's your name, young man?"

Mike blushed as Mrs. Sinnes smiled down at him. He tried to answer the question, but his throat felt like mush, so he cleared his throat and tried again.

"M-m-Mike Wheeler," Mike said.

"Well, welcome to kindergarten, Mike," Mrs. Sinnes said, giving him another smile. "It's wonderful to meet you. I'm sure you and I will become great friends this year, like I do with all of my students. Now, then, let me see."

Mrs. Sinnes turned to a chart that was on the side of her desk, which showed where she had assigned all of the students to sit.

"Ah, yes, here we are!" Mrs. Sinnes exclaimed when she found Mike's assigned seat. "You'll be sitting at station number four, along with William, Maxine and Eleanor. It's right over there."

Mrs. Sinnes pointed to the appropriate station and Mike glanced over at it. The three other kids were already sitting at the station, talking quietly amongst themselves. Mike spotted an open seat and guessed that was his. He turned to look at Mrs. Sinnes again and tried to smile at her, though it may have come out as a grimace instead.

"Your Mom can take you over to your desk and we'll get started with the day's activities soon," Mrs. Sinnes said before she smiled at the next parent and student that were approaching her desk.

Karen pulled Mike away from Mrs. Sinnes' desk and led him to the square of desks of center four. Just before they reached it, Karen stopped and turned to Mike. She bent down so she could whisper.

"You gonna be okay, honey?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mike replied. "Maybe."

Karen smiled at him.

"Well, just be patient and think positive and you'll find a friend, Mike, I'm sure of it."

"Okay, Mommy," Mike said, giving Karen a smile to reassure her, even if he was still unsure of how he felt about school and the concept of making a friend.

"I'll be here right after school to pick you and Nancy up, okay?" Karen said. "I'll wanna hear all about your first day of school, so be ready to tell me a story when you get dismissed and find Nancy, okay?"

Mike smiled at his Mom and nodded.

"I love you, sweetie," Karen said as she gave Mike a hug. Mike hugged her back tightly. "Oh, that's a good hug. Now, you go and have fun today. I can't wait to hear all about your day!"

"Thanks, Mommy," Mike said.

"See ya later," Karen said before she stood up and walked back toward the classroom door. Mike watched her as she did, and was grateful that Karen stopped and waved at him from the door. Mike waved back at her before she turned around and disappeared through the door.

Mike turned and walked over to station four, where the three other kids who were sitting there were watching him as if he were the most fascinating thing they had ever seen. He sat down in the open chair after he looped his backpack straps onto the back of the chair. A boy was sitting across from him and staring at Mike with a shy look on his face. The girl next to the boy had fiery red hair and looked to Mike like a young Ginny Weasley from the _Harry Potter_ movies. On Mike's left was a girl with dark brown hair, who was smiling widely at Mike, and looked eager to talk to him.

"Hi there," said the brown haired girl. "My name is Eleanor, but everyone calls me Ellie or El. What's your name?"

"I'm Michael, but everyone calls me Mike," Mike said, trying to keep the nervousness out of his tone. 

"Nice to meet you, Mike," said El. She gestured to the girl sitting across from her. "This is Maxine, but she goes by Max. She and I are best friends."

"Hi there, Mike," Max said, giving Mike a smile.

"Hi Max," Mike said, returning the smile.

"And this is William, but he goes by Will," El said, pointing to the shy-looking boy sitting across from Mike.

Will blushed as Mike looked at him. Will looked as nervous as Mike felt, and Mike wondered if Will was as scared as he was about making friends. Maybe having that in common would make them like each other as friends, Mike thought. 

"Hi Will, it's nice to meet you." 

"Hi Mike," Will said in a nervous voice.

Throughout the morning, the students participated in a variety of activities. They sang the alphabet song -- at least those who knew the whole alphabet did -- they drew pictures of their families that they shared with those who sat at their centers; Mike learned that Will had an older brother named Jonathan, Max had an older step brother named Billy who was mean, and El was a foster child of Police Chief Jim Hopper. Hopper was planning to adopt El just as soon as the court said he could. El seemed rather happy about that.

Soon, it was lunchtime, and the kindergarten class gathered in the lunchroom. The lunch ladies served them teriyaki chicken with mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and a dinner roll. Mike happily ate everything on his plate except for the corn; he only liked corn if it was still on the cob. 

Once everyone was finished reading, the lunchroom supervisor announced it was recess time. At that, Mike's stomach lurched, and he felt the anxiety he had felt that morning creeping through him again. He knew recess was the time when students played outside, usually with their friends, and although everyone he sat with in class was nice to him, he couldn’t call any of them friends, at least not yet. But, a part of Mike thought that maybe Will would want to be his friend.

Mike was outside walking around. Although it was nice and sunny out, Mike didn't feel happy like he usually did when the weather was like this. Instead, he felt sad as he watched all of the other kids playing with each other on the playground equipment. El and Max had even invited Mike to join them in the sand pit, but Mike politely declined, saying he didn't want to bother them, even though El said it wasn't a bother. 

As he glanced around the playground, looking for someone who might want or need a friend, he spotted Will again. Will had been quiet during lunch just like he had been in class all morning. Will was sitting at the swing sets all by himself, but he wasn't swinging. From a distance, Mike could tell that Will seemed like he was sad.

Mike took a deep breath, and decided to be brave and give the friend thing a shot. He slowly walked over to Will, his heart pounding the whole time. Much faster than he anticipated, Mike reached the swing sets. Will didn't seem to know Mike was there, so Mike took a few more steps forward until he was next to the swing that was adjacent to Will.

Will looked up when Mike cleared his throat. His eyes widened as he realized who it was, and Will blushed nervously. He stammered as he spoke.

"S-s-s-sorry, did you w-w-want this s-s-s-swing?" Will asked, sounding incredibly nervous.

"Um," Mike said, not sure how to begin this conversation. But then he heard his mother and Nancy's voice both telling him just to go for it, so that's what he did. "Actually, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be my friend."

Will blinked and looked taken aback by Mike's request.

"Your friend?" Will asked.

Mike nodded as he blushed.

"Yeah. I don't have any friends and you seem really nice, Will. I'd like to be your friend if you want to."

For a moment, Will just stared at Mike as if he couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Finally, Will smiled.

"Of course, Mike. We can be friends!"

Mike felt his heart soar in his chest. He had never felt so happy before in his life, and he didn't know it was possibly to feel this way. Suddenly, he understood what his mother and sister meant when they had it's nice to have a friend. Mike wanted to hug Will, but he thought that would be too much this early on, so instead he asked Will another question.

"Can I swing with you, Will?"

Will's smiled widened.

"Yeah, Mike, of course!"

Mike smiled brightly at Will, and sat down in the swing next to Will. Soon, Mike was swinging in the air along with Will. They both started swinging higher and higher, and soon Mike felt like he was on top of the world. 

Between the butterflies in his stomach as he soared through the air, and the knowledge that Will agreed to be his friend, Mike felt the happiest he had ever felt in all his life. He now understood what it meant to be a friend; it meant sharing moments like this with your friend, and enjoying each other's company simply for the reason that you were friends. At least that's how Mike's 5-year-old brain thought of being a friend. In this moment, he couldn't wait to try everything that came with being someone's friend, and he now understood Nancy's excitement every time she talked about one of her friends, and why Nancy usually looked kind of sad when she came home from one of her sleepovers.

Just as Will reached the same height as Mike on the swings, he called out to Mike.

"Have you ever tried jumping out of these while you swing? It's like you're flying!"

Mike cocked his head slightly, a difficult task, considering how quickly he was moving through the air. He shouted back at Will.

"No, but it sounds fun, and also scary!"

Will giggled before he responded.

"Here, Mike, just watch me!"

With that, Will swung backward in the swing before he surged forward again. But before he swing would swing back, he leapt out of the swing and flew through the air briefly before landing on his feet. Will turned around and threw his arms up in the air in a "ta da!" gesture.

"That looks scary, Will!" Mike shouted as he kept swinging.

"Try it, Mike, it's fun!"

Mike closed his eyes and weighed his options. On the one hand, he wanted to do it in order to show Will that he could. But on the other hand, he was nervous about falling on the ground and hurting himself. He debated for about ten seconds before he heard his mother's voice echoing in his mind.

_"Be brave, Mike. Be brave."_

He hadn't ever remembered hearing his mother say that, but those words acted as a source of inspiration for him. Mike took a deep breath before he swung forward again, and leapt out of his swing. He flew through the air toward Will, who was beaming up at him. Mike felt as though he were flying, and he didn't want the sensation to end as fast as it did. Mike quickly landed on his feet next to Will, who was smiling widely and Mike and clapping.

"That was so cool, Mike! Great job!" Will exclaimed as he patted Mike on the arm.

"Thanks, Will," Mike said, blushing slightly at the contact with Will.

"Hey, do you wanna go sit down and talk for a little bit?" Will asked. "I think we have a little while before we have to go inside."

"Sure, Will," Mike said.

Will turned and led Mike away from the swings. They reached one of the sand pits that was on the playground, but none of the other kids were using it. Mike was privately relieved; he wanted to talk to Will without anyone overhearing them. Will plopped down in the sand, and Mike sat down next to him.

"So, we're friends now, right?" Will asked.

Mike nodded.

"Then I think we should tell each other stuff."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like tell me about your parents."

"Oh, um..." Mike said, not really sure how to describe his family. "Well, my Mommy and Daddy have been married for a long time. Daddy is very quiet and he always falls asleep in his chair. Mommy cooks all the meals and takes care of the house and me and Nancy."

"Who's Nancy?" Will asked, his head perking up in interest.

"She's my big sister; she's in the third grade."

"Third grade? I wonder if she knows my brother Jonathan," Will said.

"I don't know," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders. "Nancy has a lot of friends and she talks about them a lot, but I don't remember a Jonathan."

"Well, maybe they can be friends if Nancy is as cool as you, Mike. Jonathan doesn't have a lot of friends."

"Nancy's okay. She can be mean sometimes, but I think she just likes to tease me."

Will giggled at him.

"Yeah, Jonathan teases me too, but he always tells me he's joking."

"So, tell me about your mommy and daddy."

Will looked slightly crestfallen.

"Oh," he said in a downtrodden voice. "Um, well it's just my mommy, Jonathan and me. My daddy left us around my birthday."

Mike felt his heart shatter into two pieces. He barely knew anything about Will, but hearing that Will's dad left made him feel incredibly sad.

"Oh, Will, I'm so sorry," Mike said, reaching across and taking one of Will's hands in his own. 

Will blushed at Mike's gesture.

"Thanks, Mikey," he said, giving Mike a smile.

"Mikey?" asked Mike, frowning.

"Oh, do you not like it? Sorry."

"No, no, I like it!" Mike said quickly as he noticed the sad expression reappear on Mike's face. "You can call me Mikey, and maybe I can call you Willie?"

Will's face lit up again.

"Yeah, I like that!"

Just then, the recess monitors started blowing their whistles in bursts of three. Mike and Will glanced at each other, a little sad that recess was over. They stood up and hopped out of the sand box. Before they started walking back, Will hesitantly held out his hand for Mike. Mike stared at Will.

"So we don't get lost on the way back," Will explained simply.

"Okay, Willie," Mike said, smiling at Will and grabbing his hand.

The two of them hurried to get into line to go back inside. They only let go of each other's hands once they were inside the school, but they walked behind one another, with Mike in front, back to the classroom.

Throughout the afternoon, Mike felt it much easier to participate in the activities Mrs. Sinnes had them doing, knowing that he had Will as his friend. After they took naps after recess, Mrs. Sinnes had them draw pictures about something that made them happy. Mike drew stick figures of his family and Will at the park, where Will was drawn on the swing set, as if waiting for Mike to join him like he did at recess. Once the drawing was done, they had story time, and Mike heard the story of The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, a clever story that reversed the roles of the characters of the classical tale.

Soon, the bell rang to signal the end of the day, and Mrs. Sinnes gathered all of the students into three different lines: one for the bus riders, a second for those who were getting picked up from school and a third for those who would walk home. Mike and Will stood in the line for student pick up together. 

Once they were outside, having been escorted there by another teacher, Will grabbed Mike's hand and pulled him toward a green station wagon.

"Come on, Mikey, I want you to meet my mommy and Jonathan!" Will exclaimed excitedly.

Mike smiled as he followed Will over to his mother's car. Will's mom was standing next to the car with a big smile on her face. A boy was standing next to her and he looked to Mike like a slightly older version of Will. 

"Hi Mommy, hi Jonathan!" Will said when they reached the car. "This is my best friend, Mike!"

Will proudly threw out his arms to show off Mike to his mother and brother. Mike blushed slightly as he smiled at Will's mom and brother.

"Hi there, Mike, I'm Jonathan," Will's brother said, holding out his hand. Mike shook it.

"And I'm Mrs. Byers, but you can call me Joyce," Will's mom said, giving Mike a warm smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Mike."

"You too," Mike said, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"So, Mike, do you live here in Hawkins?" asked Joyce.

Mike nodded.

"Yeah, I live on Maple Street with my Mommy, Daddy and sister."

"That's nice. We live a little bit away from there, on the edge of town. Maybe sometime you'd like to come over for dinner one night?"

Mike beamed at Joyce.

"Yeah, I would love that!" he exclaimed.

"Wonderful!"

At that, Mike heard a familiar car horn and saw his mom's car behind Joyce's. His mom was waving at him.

"That's my Mommy," Mike explained. "I'd better get going. But let me give you my phone number, Willie."

Mike pulled a spare piece of paper out of his backpack along with a crayon. He carefully wrote down his phone number in big numbers so that Will and Mrs. Byers wouldn't miss them. He handed the paper to Will when he was done.

"Thanks, Mikey! I'll give you a call later and give you my number."

"Cool," Mike said. "It was nice meeting you, Joyce and Jonathan."

"You, too, Mike," Joyce said while Jonathan nodded and smiled at Mike. "You get home safely, okay?"

"I will."

"Wait, Mike!" Will shouted as Mike turned to walk toward his mom's car. "Here, I wanted you to have this," he said, passing out the drawing he had made during class. Mike hadn't seen it yet, but he took it enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Willie! I'll talk to you later!"

"Bye, Mikey," Will said, sounding a little sad. 

Mike hurried over to his mom's car and got into the back seat. Nancy was already sitting in the front seat.

"Who was that, Mike?" his mom asked once Mike had put on his seatbelt.

"That's my new friend, Will," Mike said. "We sit together at our center and we swung on the swing sets at recess.

"See, Mike, what'd I tell you?" his mom said with an air of triumph. "All you had to do was make a friend."

Mike smiled at his mom before he turned his attention to the piece of paper Will had given him. He opened it and found a drawing that looked so much better than his. Will had drawn two people on it who were smiling widely. Even though Will's drawing was a little sloppy, Mike could tell who the characters were: they were him and Will. 

Mike folded up the drawing and held it close to his chest as his mother drove the car away from the school. As they drove home, Mike reflected on one great truth he now understood: he was going to be Will's friend for the rest of his life.


	2. The Breakup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the summer before The Party's senior year, and El comes to an important decision regarding her relationship with Mike.

**_Twelve years later_ **

El plopped herself down onto the chair at her desk. She opened up her Macbook Air and clicked on her contacts list to find someone she could vent to. She needed to find someone who she was close with and could trust, but was also someone who she didn't see every day. Although she knew she could trust Max, El didn't want any she saw regularly to know what she was going to do, at least not until she had a chance to talk to Mike.

Mike Wheeler. El's boyfriend through all of junior year of high school. She remembered the day they met vividly. Mike's assigned seat had been next to hers, and El remembered Mike being incredibly timid when he first talked to her. But then he had opened up after he made friends with Will, and El found herself with two more friends in her class. 

Throughout grade school, two more boys joined their group. Lucas Sinclair came along in the second grade, having moved in close to Mike's home that summer. Two years later, Dustin Henderson transferred to Hawkins Elementary School and their group was complete. They had done everything together over the years: staying the night at everyone's homes, although it was usually the Wheeler home since it was the largest; losing their first teeth around the same time; experiencing their first heartbreak when Will's dog died and later when Max's family said goodbye to her cat; attending their first school dance together as a group because they made a pact that they would stay together so none of them would feel left out. 

Now, the six of them were on the cusp of their senior year of high school. It had all gone by in a flash, and El simply couldn't believe that they were nearing the end of this phase of their lives. Summer had just started, meaning all of the stress that came along with junior year had disappeared. At least, most of it had.

Although Mike was a good guy and El had no qualms about his intense feelings for her, she couldn't help but feel that something was missing. It had come to her attention on prom night. She had expected to share most of the night with Mike, seeing as they were boyfriend and girlfriend. However, Mike had shied away from spending more time than normal with El, opting instead to spend more time with their friends and dancing with them as a group.

Normally, Mike's actions on prom night wouldn't have bothered her, but El couldn't help but feel that something was going or, and that Mike was distracted.

Prom night and the weeks since had been somewhat difficult for El, what with final exams taking place on top of everything else that was going on. But now that summer had arrived, El had had plenty of time to think and had come to a difficult decision. She just wasn't sure she was making the right choice. 

El scrolled through her contacts list on her MacBook Air. She didn't have to go too far before she stumbled upon a familiar name, one she should have thought of beforehand.

_ Chris Byers. _

Chris was Will's cousin who lived a few hours away in Indianapolis. Chris' father Dale had been Will's dad Lonnie's brother. Lonnie was killed in a drunk driving accident a decade before, which was the first time she met Chris and his parents. El had seen Chris many times over the years, especially ever since El's Dad Jim and Will's mom Joyce had started dating.

El clicked on Chris' name and a FaceTime chat window opened up. The program rang a few times before it paused as Chris answered the call. Chris was apparently sitting in his bed, as El could see pillows and a headboard behind him.

"Well, hello, dear future cousin," Chris said in a surprised tone.

El grinned at him.

"We're not exactly cousins yet, Chris," she replied. "Dad still hasn't proposed to Joyce."

"Still?" Chris asked, groaning slightly. "God, Jim needs to get a freaking move on! Otherwise, I'm gonna end up losing my bets against Mom and Dad!"

"Wait, what bet?" El asked, frowning at Chris.

"Oh, we have a bet going to see when he's finally gonna pop the question. Mom thinks he's gonna wait until the fall, but Dad thinks it's not gonna happen until New Year's for whatever reason."

"And what about you?" asked El, feeling amused.

"My money is on it happening before the summer is out. I mean, hell, they've dated for what, five years now? What's taking him so long?"

"He is a busy guy, with being a police chief and all."

"Still, it's not like they aren't already married with all of you living together. He should just hurry up and make it official!"

El giggled, grateful for this brief distraction from what she was going to ask Chris.

"Yeah, that's true. I'll be sure and keep you posted on that!"

"Anyway, what's up? It's not like you to be calling in the middle of the day like this, especially during the summer."

"Yeah," El said, hesitating. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something important."

At this, she saw Chris sit up slightly in his bed.

"It sounds serious, is everything okay?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Everyone's good, it's not that kind of call. I just...I guess I need some advice, and I know how much Will trusts you. He always says you're like a brother to him."

"Yeah, of course," Chris said, nodding. "Anything that's on your mind, El, you can tell me. I can keep a secret."

"Oh, good, cause I definitely wanna keep this under wraps, which is why I'm not even telling Max, even though we tell each other everything."

"So, what's on your mind, El?"

El took a deep breath before she answered.

"Well, I know that you know that Mike and I have been dating since last fall," El said. Chris nodded at her, inviting her to continue. "And um...it's being going great and all, but I just..." El broke off, unsure if she could continue going with crying in front of Chris.

"It's okay, El, just take your time. No rush," Chris said gently.

El nodded silently before she took a few deep breaths.

"I just feel like Mike and I have been growing apart romantically," El said. "We don't spend much time together alone. We always seem to end up hanging with everybody else. Which is fine, but it seems like Mike has been trying to avoid hanging out just as a couple. And when we do, he always manages to find a way for us to be done quickly, or meet up with one of the others."

El had started to cry as she admitted all of this to Chris. She impatiently wiped away her tears before she kept talking.

"And I don't blame Mike, I don't. He's a good guy, and I do care about him. It's just...I don't know. I feel like we kinda just rushed into being in a relationship, and we didn't really do it for the right reasons. We just did it to see what it was like, I think. And even though we care about each other, I don't think we love each other romantically, do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get it, El," Chris said, nodding. "I can understand wanting to experience a relationship."

"But, I don't want to hurt Mike or anything, and I really don't want to hurt Will, either."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked, frowning.

"Come on, Chris, you know how Will feels about Mike. He always looks at Mike like he's the sun, and Mike always has Will's undivided attention. And I know Will thinks Mike could never like him back, but hell, even you have seen the way Mike looks at Will, too, and am I crazy, or is there something there?"

Chris simply stared at El for a moment as he processed what he was hearing. Finally, he nodded again.

"You know, I have to admit that I was kinda surprised when Mike told me that he asked you out," Chris said. "I didn't say anything to him about why, but I thought for sure he and Will were going to go out. You're right. It is obvious that they both have crushes on each other, but I think they're both afraid to make the first move. Or make a move at all."

"Well I'm glad someone else has noticed it," El said, sounding relieved. "I thought I was just going crazy."

"You're not crazy, El. You're incredibly smart and you're a wonderful person. And I think Mike knows that."

"Oh, I know he does. It's just, I don't think a relationship with each other is something that either of us want. And I think...I mean, I know I have to break up with him so nobody gets hurt."

Chris nodded at her.

"I think that would be for the best," he said.

"But, I don't want to hurt Mike, Chris. How can I avoid doing that?"

"I don't know if you can avoid it completely, El," Chris said. El groaned slightly at this. "But, I think the way you can lessen the damage is just to be honest with him. He deserves that, El. As long as you're honest and you don't try to sugarcoat anything, Mike will be okay in the long run. Besides, he's got Will and he's got me to lean on. He'll be okay, El, I promise. I've known him for a long time, and I know that he'll be okay, in the end."

El sighed deeply and nodded at Chris.

"I'll be honest with him. I have no reason not to. And you're right, he does deserve that. He's a good guy, and I don't want this to hurt him. Thanks for listening, Chris."

"Anytime, El," Chris said with a smile. "Now, go and make sure your Dad knows to hurry up and propose!"

El giggled loudly, feeling much lighter than she had before she called Chris.

"I'll be sure to do that," El said. "Thanks again for listening, Chris. I'll talk to you soon."

"Let me know how it goes, El."

"I will. See ya."

* * *

Mike perked up in his bed when he heard his phone go off. He reached over to his nightstand and picked it up. He saw that he had a text from El, so he unlocked his phone to read it.

El: Hey, _ can you meet me at the cafe in the bookstore in an hour?  _

Mike frowned when he read the message. Normally, El would include an emoji or two in her message and would explain why she wanted to meet with Mike. The lack of detail was unsettling to Mike.

Before he answered her, Mike called one of the only people other than him who knew how El's mind worked.

"Hey, Mikey, what's up?" Will asked.

"Not much, how's my best friend?" asked Mike.

Will chuckled.

"I'm good. I've just been hanging out all day. I was thinking about going for a swim later if you want to come."

"Yeah, maybe," Mike said. "Uh, actually, Will, I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course, Mikey. You can ask me anything."

"It's about El so please don't hate me."

Will scoffed and chuckled.

"What relationship advice do you need now, Mike?"

Mike giggled.

"Hey, if I can't trust my best friend, who else have I got?"

"You've got literally everybody else in The Party," Will said, sounding slightly annoyed, but there was no malice in his tone. If anything, he was probably rolling his eyes while smiling as he talked to Mike.

"Yeah, but you're my favorite," Mike said earnestly. It was true. Although Mike was close with everyone in The Party, he and Will had a special relationship. They were as close as they could be as friends, and trusted each other with their most intimate secrets.

"I appreciate that, Mikey," Will said. "Anyway, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if you've talked to El at all today."

"Uh, not really. We chatted over breakfast this morning and we've been doing our own thing pretty much all day. Why?"

"I don't know, she texted me just now asking to meet at the bookstore cafe in an hour, but she didn't really say anything. I'm wondering what's going on."

"Maybe she just wants to meet up for coffee. You know, spend some time alone together. It is summer after all, Mikey."

"Yeah, I guess so," Mike said, but he was not thoroughly convinced. 

"Is something wrong? Are you guys okay?"

"I don't know. Things have been kinda awkward ever since prom night. It's like we're disconnected, or something. It's weird, but it's almost like something is telling me that maybe we shouldn't be a couple."

Will didn't say anything for a few seconds. Mike held his breath as he waited for a response.

"Well, maybe it's not like that, Mike. Maybe you guys were just so busy with finals and everything. I bet El just wants to spend time together with you, Mike. After all, you guys are dating."

Mike considered this for a moment before he responded.

"Yeah, I bet you're right, Will," he said, smiling even though he knew that Will couldn't see him. "You're the best, you know that?"

"Yes, I know, darling. I know," Will said in a perfect impersonation of Edna Mode.

Mike giggled.

"That never gets old," he said. "Listen, I'll call you after I meet with El. I'd love to spend time with you since we haven't gotten to yet."

"Well, don't you go shorting my hopefully soon-to-be sister just to hang out with me, Mike. You know I'll kick your ass if she's feeling neglected."

"Ha ha, Willie," Mike said sarcastically. He heard Will giggle. "Anyway, I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sure thing, Mikey. Talk to you soon."

* * *

Mike walked through the door of the Hawkins Book Store. He had always enjoyed visiting this book store over the larger chain of stores. This one felt more homely than the larger stores. All of the employees seemed to know all of their patrons intimately; the baristas had most regular orders memorized by heart. Sometimes, the bookstore was a nice and quiet place to work on homework or read a book or plan the next Dungeons and Dragons campaign. All in all, it was one of Mike's favorite places in town to hang out. 

He glanced over at the cafe and saw El sitting at a table. She didn't have anything on the table; Mike thought perhaps that meant she was waiting for him to arrive so they could order their drinks together. Mike walked over to the table where El was waiting for him. El stood up when she saw Mike, and Mike leaned in to give her a kiss, but El hesitated, backing away slightly so that Mike's lips ended up on her cheek. Mike frowned at her, but sat down anyway, thinking maybe they were just off track for a moment.

"Thanks for meeting me, Mike," El said in a flat tone.

"Yeah, of course, El," Mike replied.

The two then stared at each other in an awkward silence. Mike listened to the chatter of other cafe patrons while El simply looked at him, as if searching for the right words to say. Finally, she spoke up, still speaking in the same flat voice.

"You know I'll always care about you, right Mike?" she asked.

Mike frowned at her.

"Yeah?" he said.

"I mean it," El said with a little more feeling. "That no matter what happens, I will always care for you."

"And I'll always care for you, too, El. What's going on? Why are we having such a serious conversation?"

El hesitated.

"I think you know why, Mike," she said simply.

Mike's eyes narrowed after El spoke. A million and one thoughts were running through his head as he stared back into his girlfriend's eyes. Suddenly, something in her face told Mike that she was having similar thoughts to the one he had been.

"What are you saying, El?" Mike asked when he came to this revelation.

El sighed deeply.

"I need to know something, Mike," she said. "And I need you to be completely honest with me, okay? I don't want you to lie to spare my feelings or anything. All right, Mike? Can you promise me that you'll be one hundred percent honest with me?"

Mike nodded.

"Of course, El. Just talk to me. Please."

El sighed once again before she replied.

"Is a relationship with something you really want, Mike?" she asked. Mike frowned at her. "And more specifically, is a relationship with me something that you want?"

Mike simply stared at El, seemingly at a loss for words.

"I don't want you to be upset or anything, Mike, but I have to be honest with you because friends don't lie," El said as tears threatened to fall down her face. "I feel like we've been growing apart as a couple these last few weeks. I know we were both busy with school, but that doesn't mean we had to avoid spending time together.

"And even when we do spend time together, it's like we don't really connect with one another like we should. And we always seem to end up hanging out with everyone else that our time alone is so small, Mike."

El paused to gauge Mike's reaction. Mike remained silent with a blank expression on his face. El sighed before she continued.

"I just think that you and I are better friends than we are boyfriend and girlfriend, Mike," El said. "I know that it must suck to hear that, and that it might hurt your feelings, but I don't think we should keep doing this, Mike. If we do, we're just gonna end up hurting each other, and I don't want that to happen. So, I think it's best that we go back to just being friends."

El wiped away the tears that had started falling down her face. She looked at Mike, who still had a blank expression on his face. El reached over and placed her hand on top of one of Mike's and tried to look reassuring for him. Finally, Mike gulped and spoke.

"If that's what you think, then I think we should break up," he said in a shaky voice.

El nodded at Mike.

"I think that would be for the best," she said. "This way we don't get hurt. But I need to know something, Mike: Are you hurting?"

Mike gulped again and shut his eyes for a moment and briefly shook his head like he was trying to get the bad feelings out of his body.

"I'll be okay, El," he said heavily. "I think we both knew it wasn't going to last. But I'll be okay, I promise."

"Okay, as long as you're okay, that's all I care about."

"I will be," Mike said before he hesitated. "Um, can I give you a hug before we leave? You know, just one last one before we both go back to being single?"

El chuckled at Mike, wiping away more tears before she nodded.

"Yeah, that would be nice, Mike."

They both stood up from the table and pulled each other into a tight hug. Both Mike and El were crying lightly as they held onto each other, both of them trying to silently communicate how sorry they were. Finally, El broke the hug and wiped away the last of her tears.

"Take care, Mike," she said. "I'll see you around later, yeah?"

Mike just nodded at her.

* * *

Will looked up from the book he was reading when El walked into the living room. He couldn't read her facial expression, but it didn't seem like she was in a good or bad mood one way or the other. She looked rather blank. 

"Hey, how was your date?" Will asked, putting down the book. 

That seemed to be the wrong question to ask. El's face scrunched up and she started crying. Will leapt up from the recliner and hurried over to El, wrapping his arms around her as she began sobbing, too. Will didn't know what to do other than hug El and whisper what he thought were words of comfort into her ear. 

It took several minutes for El to calm down. Will kept rubbing circles on El's back and holding her tightly as she let it all out. Finally, El's sobbing subsided and she lifted her head from Will's shoulder, wiping away the last of the tears that were falling down her face. 

"Um....can you make me some of your famous Will Byers hot tea?" El asked.

"Yeah, of course," Will said.

El gave Will a smile and went to go sit down on the sofa. Will hurried into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove to boil the water. Over the years, Will had perfected making tea for about every occasion imaginable and a sad moment was included in that. Within minutes, he had the perfect tea ready for El. He poured it into a mug that El always seemed to favor and hurried back into the living room as quickly and carefully as he could. 

Will noticed right away that El had been crying again, though she was trying to hide it. He handed her the mug of tea, which El took after wiping away more tears. 

"Thanks, Will," El said in a quiet voice before she took a sip of the tea and set the mug down on the coffee table.

"Are you okay, El?" Will asked gently, not sure if El was ready to talk about whatever had upset her.

El sighed deeply.

"I will be in the long run, but I'm gonna be kinda sad for a while. And so is Mike."

"Mike?” Will said, frowning. “What, did something happen?"

"We broke up," El said. Will's eyes widened in shock. "Well, more specifically, I broke up with him."

"Oh, El, I'm so sorry," Will said, feeling at a loss for words.

"No it's okay, Will. At least it will be. It was for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"Mike and I have been growing apart as a couple for a while now. I think we got into a relationship for all the wrong reasons, and I didn't want our relationship to blow up, so I ended it before either of us would get hurt. I know I'm hurting him by doing it, but it had to happen."

Will nodded.

"Yeah, I get that. I'm just sorry that you're hurting now," Will said.

"It's okay, Will. I promise. I'll be fine in the long run." El took a larger sip of tea. "This tea is wonderful, by the way, thank you."

Will smiled at her and nodded.

"Anyway," El said as she set the mug back down on the coffee table. "I think you'd better go talk to Mike. I think he needs you right now, Will."

"What about you?" Will said quickly.

"Will, I'll be fine. Besides, I've got Max to talk to about this. Mike needs you right now, Will. He's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. You know how he gets when he's upset, Will, and I think you're the best person to do that. You're his best friend and he needs you, Will."

"Are you sure, El? I don't really want to leave you right after you cried like that."

El smiled softly at Will and reached across to hold his hand. 

"You're sweet, Will, but I'm gonna be okay. I'm gonna call Max and we're gonna talk about it for a while, so I'll be okay. But Mike, I know he's not going to take this well, and I know he needs you right now, Will."

Will hesitated before he nodded.

"Okay. But only if you're sure, El."

"I'm sure, Will," El said in a firm yet soft voice. "He needs you right now, Will. Trust me. He's probably having a break down as big as the one I had right now and you know him: he's not gonna talk to his family about this, even Nancy."

"Oh shit you're right," Will said as he hurriedly stood up. "Okay, I'll go and see him. I'll talk to you later," he said before he bent down and gave El a quick kiss on the forehead. "Take care, okay?"

"Take care of our Mike," El said as Will turned to grab his keys before heading out the front door. 

* * *

Will took his time walking to the front porch of the Wheeler house. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Mike, and he didn’t know how Mike was handling the breakup. Mike had never dated anyone before, but Will knew how emotional Mike could get when he was upset. 

When Mike’s grandfather had passed when they were in the fourth grade, Will had thought Mike was pretty stoic about it until one day at school, about a week after the funeral, Mike had been in the bathroom for nearly 15 minutes and their teacher had sent Will to check on Mike. When Will went into the bathroom, he found Mike standing over one of the sinks, sobbing uncontrollably. It had taken a while to calm Mike down, and when Will asked him what was wrong, Mike had said that he just missed his grandpa so much, but he didn’t think he was allowed to be sad about it. 

Will had hugged Mike for a long time that day, telling that he couldn’t just hold it all in, and that he was allowed to cry as much as he wanted. Mike promised that he would, but that he probably only would around Will because he was worried about being judged by his family or anyone else. 

Will knocked on the front door after some hesitation. He only had to wait about five seconds before the front door open and Mike’s mother appeared in the doorway. She looked visibly relieved to see Will. 

“Oh, Will, thank goodness you’re here,” Karen said. “Please, come in.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler,” Will replied as he followed Karen into the house, and he shut the door behind them. “How’s he doing?”

“He told me what happened and then he just went upstairs and said he needed to be alone for a little while. I don’t think he’s taking it well, Will. You’d better get up to his room quickly.”

“I will, Mrs. Wheeler, thank you. I don’t know how long I’ll be with him, but I think it’s best if you just leave me up there with him. I think he just needs me right now. Anyone else might be too much for him.”

“Of course,” Karen said, nodding and giving Will a warm smile. “Take as long as you need, Will sweetie. And you’ll be more than welcome to stay for dinner if you’re still here at that time.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler. I’ll go upstairs and talk to him. If I need any help or anything, I’ll text Nancy, how about that?”

“Sure thing, Will. I’ll see you soon, I hope.”

Will nodded at Karen before he hurried up the stairs and made his way over to Mike’s room. He didn’t think it was a good sign that he couldn’t hear Mike making any noise. That probably meant that Mike was holding in his feelings, which Will hated Mike doing. 

Will took a deep breath before he knocked gently on Mike’s door.

“Mike, it’s Will. Can I come in?”

Mike didn’t respond. Will sighed before he slowly opened the door and gently inched into the room, closing the door behind him. Mike was sitting at his desk and seemed to be staring at something that was in front of him. Will walked over to Mike and stood next to him. Mike had a blank expression on his face, and didn’t seem to notice that Will was in the room with him.

Will glanced down at Mike’s desk and he felt his heart break into two. Mike was staring at what used to be a photo of Mike and El from the New Year’s party earlier that year. It was just a photo of the two of them and was the first official photo of them as a couple, even though that had been dating for a couple of months at the time. It was apparent to Will that Mike had ripped the picture in two, in between the small space between Mike and El in the picture. 

“Mike?” Will said gently. Still no response to Will. “Mikey, please, look at me.”

Slowly, Mike raised his head and turned it to look at Will. Will felt his heart sink again when he saw Mike’s face. Mike’s eyes were red and he was trembling slightly. Will had never seen Mike look as sad as he did.

“Oh, Mikey,” Will said in a gentle voice. “Here, let’s go sit on your bed and we can talk.”

“I don’t want to talk,” Mike said in a childish tone. 

Will closed his eyes for a moment and sighed before he looked at Mike again.

“Mike, I know you don’t want to talk about your feelings, but you can’t hold this in, no matter how much easier you think it will be. We’ll both do some talking, Mike. It’ll help you in the long run.”

Mike nodded silently.

“Okay then, Mikey. Then let’s get you to your bed so we can talk and be comfortable.”

Will helped Mike stand up. Mike felt like a bit of a dead weight to Will. It took him several minutes to get Mike across the room and onto the bed. Mike plopped onto the bed with a thud and Will sat down next to him.

“Okay, Mikey. I’m gonna say some things and then you’re gonna say some things, all right? And I need you to know right now that I don’t judge you for anything, and that you always have my full support. You’re my best friend, Mike, and I love you like family, Mike. Okay? I need you to understand that.”

Mike nodded at Will, but remained silent. 

“All right, Mike. Now, El told me what happened. She told me that she broke up with you and you seemed to take it well. But, she also thinks you were hiding your feelings, and I know you well enough to know that that’s true. Have you talked to anyone about this besides telling your Mom what happened?”

Mike shook his head.

“I understand, Mike. But, I also know that you can’t just bottle up your feelings. It’s not good for you, and I don’t want you to hurt any more than you already do. So, I’ll wait until you’re ready, Mike, but you’re gonna have to talk to me about what you’re feeling inside. I know it’s gonna be painful, but I am here for you, okay?”

Will reached across and placed his left hand on top of Mike’s right hand. Mike didn’t react to the gesture, but Will saw the tension leave Mike’s shoulders, and the color return to Mike’s face. He also thought he saw the ghost of a smile dash across Mike’s face, if only for a moment. Mike stayed silent for about five more minutes before he finally spoke.

“Okay,” he whispered, just loud enough for Will to hear him.

Will smiled slightly and curled his hand onto Mike’s so that they were holding hands. He ignored the way he felt his face heat up and instead squeezed Mike’s hand to reassure him. 

“Can you look at me, Mike, please?” Will asked.

Mike nodded and looked up at Will. Will was taken aback by the intense look Mike had on his face. He stared deep into Mike’s big dark brown eyes. It was like Will was staring into a galaxy and he found himself lost in Mike’s gaze for a brief moment. Mike stared back into Will’s eyes, and Will felt like both of them understood each other perfectly in this moment. 

“How are you feeling, Mikey? You can be totally honest with me, and you can take your time, okay?”

Mike nodded before he broke the stare with Will and took a deep breath. Finally, he started speaking again in a shaky voice.

“I guess that El proved to me my biggest fear when she broke up with me,” he said.

“What’s your biggest fear, Mike?” Will asked, scared of what the answer could be. 

Mike sighed deeply before he responded.

“That it’s impossible for anyone to love me,” Mike said as he let out a small sob before he continued. “When we started dating, I couldn’t believe it. I thought that I was wrong and that someone could love me like that. But when she broke up with me and told me why, it was like she was proving to me exactly what I thought: nobody is ever going to love me.”

At this, Mike started to cry uncontrollably. Will let go of Mike’s hand and threw his arms around Mike instead, pulling him into a hug. Mike sobbed into Will’s chest while Will whispered words of comfort into Mike’s ear and held him tightly, rubbing circles on Mike’s back. It took several minutes for Mike to calm down, but when he did, Will broke the hug and held onto Mike’s hand again. This time, Mike curled their fingers together.

“Mike, you  _ are _ worthy of love, I promise you that,” Will said in the most gentle voice he could muster. “And somebody will love you in the way that you want to. You just have to be patient, is all.”

“I don’t deserve love,” Mike protested.

“Hey, don’t think like that, Mikey. You do deserve love. And you have to remember that you are loved, Mike. There are all kinds of love, like the way that Dustin, Lucas and Max love you. Like the way your mom, dad and sisters love you. Like the way that I love you like family, Mike. You’re my best friend and I can’t imagine living without you, Mike. So you just gotta remember that you are loved. Even if you don’t have someone who loves you romantically, Mike, you are loved and you deserve it. And I promise you El still loves you like family, too.”

“I love her, too,” Mike interrupted in a whisper.

Will grinned at him.

“I know you do,” he said. “That’s why you’re hurting so much. But, you’re gonna be okay, Mike. You’ve got me and you’ve got everyone else in The Party. We love you, Mike.”

Mike smiled for the first time since Will entered the bedroom and Will felt his heart warm up again. Will gave Mike a smile again and squeezed his hand. 

“Am I crazy, Will?” Mike asked.

Will chuckled lightly.

“Do you really want me to answer that question, Mike?”

Mike giggled.

“Yes, I do.”

“You’re not crazy, Mike. You’re hurting, but you’re not crazy. And if you are crazy, then I’m crazy, too. And you know what? I’ll go crazy together with you, Mike. There’s nobody else I’d rather go crazy with. So, if you are crazy, then we’ll go crazy together, right?”

Mike chuckled and Will saw at least one tear form in Mike’s eye. But Mike looked so happy with what Will was saying that Will felt his heart soaring in his chest and it threatened to burst through.

“Yeah, we’ll go crazy together.” 

* * *

Will leaned over to his nightstand and grabbed his phone. He unlocked his phone and pulled up his most recent text messages. He reread the conversation he and Mike had had just before Will had eaten dinner and watched a movie with his family.

Mike:  _ Thank you so much for coming over, Will. I don’t know what I’d do without you. _

Will:  _ You know you don’t have to thank me. I’ll always be there for you, Mikey. Crazy together. _

Mike:  _ Crazy together _

On Mike’s second message, he had used a wink face emoji, which made Will smile like it did when he first saw it. Will quickly typed out another message.

Will:  _ Good night, Mikey. See you soon, yeah?” _

He closed the text messages from Mike and returned to the main screen of his messages. He scrolled down until he reached one of his other main contacts in his phone: his cousin, Chris. Will opened his and Chris’ messages and typed out a quick text.

Will:  _ Hey, are you still awake? _

Will only had to wait about 30 seconds before he saw Chris reply

Chris:  _ Yeah I’m up. What’s up? _

Will:  _ Can we have a FaceTime chat, please? I need to talk to you about something and I don’t wanna do it over text _ .

Chris replied quickly.

Chris:  _ Yeah, of course. I’ll go to the basement so I don’t wake up Mom and Dad. I’ll FaceTime you when I’m ready. _

Will sent back a thumbs-up emoji and set his phone down on his chest. He let out a deep sigh as he stared up at his ceiling. It had been a hell of a day for him, between trying to comfort both El and Mike. Will was exhausted, but he had several burning thoughts running through his mind, and he needed someone to talk it out with.

About five minutes after Chris sent his last text, Will’s phone started buzzing with a FaceTime call. Will answered it and saw his cousin appear, obviously sitting in his basement on his favorite recliner; Will recognized the color instantly. 

“Hey, buddy, what’s up?” Chris asked. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just been a long day,” Will said, sighing once again. 

“Talk to me, Will. I’m listening.”

Will nodded.

“Did you hear about El and Mike?” Will asked.

Chris hesitated before he responded. 

“Yeah, I did. El actually called me earlier today before she went to meet up with Mike. She needed someone to talk to about it who wasn’t nearby because she didn’t want everyone to know just yet. But, you didn’t hear that from me, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Will said quickly. “No, I get why she talked to you. Hell, I’m surprised she told me at all, but she just looked so upset that I couldn’t help but ask her what was wrong.”

“How’d she take it?”

“How do you think? She was pretty upset and she was crying, and I tried to be comforting to her as best I could. But, she was adamant about me going to go comfort Mike. She said she had Max to lean on about this, but I didn’t go until she practically forced me out of the house.”

Both boys chuckled briefly at this. Chris face quickly became serious as he asked his next question.

“How did Mike take it?” he asked.

Will shook his head.

“He was a mess, Chris. I’ve never seen him like that before. He tore up a picture of the two of them and was staring at it on his desk. But I could tell he was bottling it all up. So, I had to get him to talk about what he was feeling. It took some effort, but I got him to open up. And you know what he said, Chris?” Chris shook his head. “He told me that the breakup made his greatest fear come true: that he doesn’t deserve love.”

Chris gasped. “Oh my god,” he said. “Maybe I should give him a call and see how he’s doing.”

“No, it’s okay, Chris,” Will said hurriedly. “I talked it through with him and I made sure that he knows how much he’s cared for. And I think he really doesn’t want anyone to know, at least not yet, so you’ll have to stay quiet about it, all right?”

“I can do that,” Chris said before he grinned slightly. “It’s like you guys think I’m this wildly amazing secret keeper. Which I am, but I’m just glad to see that you all have realized that.”

Both boys laughed heartily at that. And once they started laughing, they found it hard to quit. They kept looking at each other when they would stop laughing and then they would dissolved into a further fit of laughter. Finally, they stopped laughing and both of them were coughing slightly as they recovered.

“Anyway, there was something else I was wanting to talk to you about,” Will said, suddenly sounding serious.

“What is it, Will?” Chris asked.

“Um ...I'm not really sure how to say this, so I guess I’ll come right out with it.” Will sighed deeply before he responded. “Now, this is something that must be kept between us, Chris. You have to promise me. I’m talking literally person to person and nobody else in the world can know about this. I know I can trust you, Chris, but I just need you to promise me.”

“Of course, Will. You have my word, always.”

“Thanks,” Will said, taking yet another deep breath. “All right, here goes. I know this is crazy to admit, but I can’t hold it in much longer. I’m gay, Chris.”

There was a brief pause as both boys stared into each other’s eyes. In that moment, Will felt completely understood as Chris’ eyes stared into his and he saw nothing but love and acceptance.

“Thank you for telling me, Will,” Chris said. “I’m very proud of you for doing that.”

“Wow, it feels really weird actually telling someone that.” 

Chris chuckled.

“I’m glad you told me, Will. I know how hard it must have been for you, so thank you for trusting me enough to be honest with me.”

“I’m just glad to finally get it off my chest.”

“So,” said Chris in a knowing tone as he smiled rather mischievously at Will. “Is there anyone you have your eye on?”

“Oh my god, really, we’re doing this?” Will asked, groaning.

“Yes, we’re doing this!” Chris exclaimed with a laugh. “Come on, Will, I’m sure somebody has caught your eye if you’re willing to come out to your cousin. So tell me: is there someone you’re crushing on?”

Will looked away from his phone, blushing profusely while also smiling slightly. Chris giggled.

“Maybe you have a crush on your best friend?”

If there was a question Will didn’t expect to here, it was certainly not that one. He turned back to face his phone to look at Chris, who was smiling at him. But Will suddenly felt anxious and all trace of happiness had vanished from his face. Chris frowned at him.

“Why would you ask that?” Will asked, sounding extremely nervous.

“Will, relax,” Chris said, looking at Will with concern in his eyes. “Take a deep breath, okay? Come on, in and out with me.” Chris inhaled deeply while Will mimicked him. They both let the air out of their lungs at the same time and Will felt some of the tension leave his body. “I’m sorry, Will, I didn’t mean to upset you with that question.”

“It’s okay, Chris. I’m just surprised you knew that already.”

“So I was right!” Chris said triumphantly.

Will blushed and nodded.

“How’d you know?”

“Oh come on, Will, you’re not exactly subtle about it. Your eyes light up literally any time you talk about Mike, and you always look at him like he’s the center of your universe. And I know how much you care about him, and how much he cares about you. It only makes sense that you have a little crush on him.”

“It may be more than that,” Will said quietly, almost saying it just to himself.

“What do you mean?”

“I think...I think I’m in love with him, Chris,” Will stammered out.

There was a beat as both boys simply stared at each other before Chris smiled widely.

“Will, that’s wonderful!” Chris said. “Oh, I can’t believe my cousin has his first love before I do!”

“Oh shut up!” Will snapped, but there was no bitterness to his tone and he was smiling. “And how is it wonderful? There’s no way Mike would ever like me back! Besides, he’s straight!”

Chris sighed, looking somewhat annoyed.

“Sometimes your total obliviousness just blows my mind, Will,” he said in a resigned tone.

“What’s that mean?” Will asked, frowning.

“You seriously haven’t noticed Mike looking at you the same way you look at him?” Chris asked. “I mean, shit, I’ve only seen him once this year, and it was like I had to use extra effort to get his attention because he was so focused on you and making sure you were okay, Will. And that was in spite of him and El dating. I think it’s painfully obvious that you both have feelings for one another, but I think both of you are scared to admit it, because that means putting yourself out there. 

“And if I’m being one hundred percent honest with you, Will, I was shocked when I heard Mike and El were going out. I figured he’d have asked you out a long time ago, given how much you two seem to care for each other and, dare I say it, love each other.”

Will’s eyes widened.

“But then why didn’t he ask me out or even just talk to me about it?”

“Maybe he was just scared,” Chris said simply. “It’s not easy finding out you’re in love with somebody, Will. I mean you were scared of coming out to me and we’re like brothers, and know everything about each other. I’m sure you can imagine discovering those feelings for your best friend and not knowing how to handle it, right?”

Will nodded.

“Mike just needs time, Will. I think that’s why he dated El: to try to avoid his feelings and to understand them. But now that they’re broken up, maybe he’ll reevaluate his thinking and come to terms with how he feels. I know it sucks, waiting for him, but you just need to give him some time, Will. Don’t rush into things and go telling him what you told me and what I’ve told you. My advice? Let Mike come to you, Will.

“If he does feel the same way about you, then you should definitely take that chance. There’s not anyone in the world I can think of who I’d rather see you with than Mike, and I mean that, Will. But, if he doesn’t feel the same way, then at least you’ll know, Will, and you won’t lose your best friend. Just give it time and he’ll come to you.”

Will simply stared at Chris for a few moments as he digested all of what Chris had said to him. He nodded after several seconds of silence.

“I can wait,” Will said. “I mean, I’ve basically had feelings for him since we were 12, so what’s a little longer?”

Chris grinned at Will.

“Trust me, Will, I’ve got a gut instinct about this and my gut instincts are pretty much always right.”

“Well, if this one’s wrong, I’ll be sure and never let you forget about it,” Will said with a chuckle.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Chris said with a grin. 

“Thanks for staying up to chat with me, Chris.”

“Any time, buddy. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Good night, Chris.”

“Night, Will.”

With that, Chris disappeared from Will’s phone screen as he ended the FaceTime call. Will returned his phone to the home screen and stared at the background. It was a picture of him and Mike with their arms around each other at Will’s last birthday party. Both of them were smiling widely; Will had felt so happy that day when Mike surprised him with a customized drawing book that had Will’s name inscribed into it. Will grinned at the memory just as one last text came through.

Mike:  _ Yeah, Willie, I’ll see you soon. Good night, buddy. _

Will gasped slightly when he saw the heart emoji Mike had included at the end of the message. Maybe Chris was right, and Mike did return his feelings. Or it could be platonic love. Whatever it was, it sent warm feelings through Will’s chest. He locked his phone and returned it to his nightstand before shutting off his lamp. Will laid down on his pillow and pulled his blankets over him, thinking of nothing but that text message and hoping that Chris was right. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Mileven was a thing in this story, but now their romantic story has come to an end.
> 
> And don't worry, Byeler fans, that is definitely the endgame ship. Y'all should know that if you've read my other fics ;)
> 
> The rest of The Party and the other main characters of the show will appear in the next chapter. So, if you're waiting on them, you'll get to see them soon!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this first main chapter of the story! I'm enjoying going back to this story after being away from it for a month (and in this chapter's case, it's been two months since I wrote it!), and seeing what I came up with! There are a couple more chapters to come and they are all pretty lengthy, just like this one. Stay tuned!


	3. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks after they broke up, Mike and El are both trying to move on with the help of their friends. Meanwhile, Nancy and Jonathan go on a double date with Robin and her girlfriend Bianca, with Steve as a fifth wheel, and Jim and Joyce attend a police auction.

_ Two weeks later _

Will woke slowly as the sun crept through his bedroom window. He groaned slightly when he regained consciousness and he turned his body away from his window and pulled the blankets over his body, trying to will his body to go back to sleep. He was nearly successful, but he was interrupted by the sound of his phone buzzing on his nightstand.

"Damn it," Will muttered as he sat up in bed, stretching the upper half of his body before he reached across his bed and grabbed his phone. 

The most recent text was from Mike. Will quickly found himself forgiving Mike for interrupting his snoozing session. He also had a handful of texts from the group chat between him, Mike, Dustin and Lucas about their plans for later that day. Will clicked on the group text first.

_ Mike: I can't wait to see you guys! We're gonna have fun tonight! _

_ Lucas: Fuck off, Mike! I was trying to sleep! Why'd you have to wake me up early on a Friday? _

Will giggled as he read Lucas' message, glad he wasn't the only one who felt annoyance at being woken up so early.

_ Dustin: Ignore him, Mike. He's just mad cause he didn't listen to me when I told him not to stay up til 2 a.m. because he was busy watching some bullshit television special. _

_ Lucas: Hey, it's not every day that you have the network premiere of a TV movie of Family Matters! Pardon me for wanting to stay up late to catch it. _

_ Dustin: Was it worth it, Sinclair? You seem to be in a good mood this fine morning! _

_ Lucas: Screw off! _

_ Mike: If you two are done bickering like an old married couple, you can let me get a word in. _

Will giggled at this exchange and could almost hear Mike sighing with exasperation while Dustin and Lucas bickered.

_ Dustin: Sorry, Mike. It's just that some of us don't need to sleep so late because we were up late watching TV. _

_ Lucas: Oh, screw you! Where's Will, anyway? He's not responding to any of our texts. _

_ Mike: Leave Will alone! He's probably still sleeping. _

Will felt his heart flutter at seeing Mike's text defending him. He smiled to himself.

_ Dustin: To be fair, Will could sleep through a tornado plowing through his house and he would simply wake up really confused as to why his bed is suddenly out in the middle of a field. _

_ Lucas: Good point. _

_ Mike: Well, anyway, I'll see you guys later. _

Will smiled again as he finished reading the group text. He quickly typed out a message of his own.

_ Will: You're totally right about that, Dusty. I'd definitely sleep through a tornado. But you probably would, too, let's be honest. I'll see you guys around lunchtime. _

Will sent the text and then switched to his messages screen to read Mike's text that had pulled him from his attempt to go back to sleep.

_ Mike: Morning, Willie. Just ignore Lucas. You know him: he gets irritable if he doesn't get all of his beauty rest. I'm really glad you guys are coming over today. I don't think I could handle being on my own all day. I'll see you soon! _

Mike had thrown in a handful of emojis in his message, which Will took as a good sign. Ever since Mike and El had broken up, Mike's texts had been rather serious in tone, with absolutely no emoji or "text talk" usage. Now that Mike was sprinkling emojis into his messages, Will thought that maybe Mike was starting to get over the pain he was feeling. Will smiled to himself as he typed out a reply.

_ Will: Morning, Mikey! Haha, I'm not worried about Lucas. He'll get over his lack of sleep once he sees pizza at your house. I can't wait to see you later. I'll come by early and help set up for our movie marathon! _

Will hesitated as his thumb hovered over the red heart emoji. Though Will had kept silent about his feelings for Mike ever since the breakup, he felt himself getting impatient about telling Mike the truth. Will took a deep breath before he shut his eyes and clicked on the heart, adding it to the message. Before he could change his mind about it, Will clicked send and the message was sent to Mike's phone.

Will threw his phone onto his bed and threw his blankets off his body. He threw his legs off the edge of the bed before he stood up, stretching his entire body properly. Will walked over to his closet and picked out his outfit that he would wear to Mike's before he hurried to the bathroom to get ready.

While he was showering, Will's mind was racing over the heart emoji he had used. Would Mike say something about it? Would Mike think it was weird that Will used it? Would Mike want to talk to Will privately about it and ask him not to send another one again?

As all of these thoughts and others tore through Will's mind, he felt his anxiety level rising. His chest started to tighten as it usually did when he was overthinking. Will gripped onto the wall of the shower for balance. He bent his down as the shower water spilled over his head. Will closed his eyes and let out all the air in his lungs before he started to breathe in.

One. Two. Three. Four. Will counted to himself as he breathed in. Once his lungs were full, Will paused and counted to three before he let out the oxygen, counting to five as he did so. He immediately felt better and felt his heart rate slowing down. Will repeated his breathing pattern three more times before he felt totally calm. 

Will then finished cleaning up in the shower before he shut it off and stepped out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his body. He stepped over to the bathroom sink and looked at himself in the mirror. Will put his hands on his cheeks and rubbed them before he sighed deeply.

"Come on, Will," he said quietly to himself. "Mike's your best friend. You know he won't find it that weird."

Saying those words and them actually being true were two different things, Will knew, but a part of him also knew they were true.

Will hurriedly dried himself on and put on his clothes before he left the bathroom and walked back to his bedroom. He tossed the towel into his dirty laundry hamper and picked his phone up from his bed. He saw a message from Mike in it. Will quickly opened his phone and read Mike's reply.

_ Mike: Can't wait! See you soon! _

Mike had attached the soft smile emoji to the end of his message. Though his breathing techniques had calmed him down in the shower, Will couldn't help but feel even more relieved after reading Mike's reply. There was nothing about his heart emoji and Mike had used a regular emoji. Will felt light as a feather as he pocketed his phone and quickly made his bed.

Once he was done making his bed, Will walked out of his room and headed to the stairs. He could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen and felt his stomach rumble as he walked downstairs. Will hurried over to the living room, where the rest of his family was preparing for breakfast. His mother Joyce was sitting at the dining table drinking a cup of coffee. Jim, his mom's boyfriend and El's adoptive father, was reading the newspaper silently. El was sitting at her usual spot and patiently watching Jonathan, Will's brother, cook their breakfast. Will walked over to the stove, where Jonathan was cooking eggs, bacon and sausage. He sniffed the air around the stove.

"This smells amazing, Jon," Will said, patting his brother on the arm. "But I'll just take a small portion today. Don't want to be too full when I go to Mike's later."

"You got it, Will," Jonathan replied with a grin as he returned to cooking the eggs. 

Will walked to the dining table and took his spot next to El, grinning at her.

"Morning, everyone," Will said.

Jim simply grunted in response; he was so focused on reading the newspaper that he couldn't be bothered to reply. 

"Hey," El said in a tired voice.

"Morning, sweetie," Joyce said warmly. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good. Woke up earlier than I was planning because the boys were texting me, but other than that, it was a good night."

Joyce smiled at Will fondly as Jonathan finished at the stove and was carrying the pan full of eggs to the dining table. Everyone moved out of the way, except for Jim, who was still reading the newspaper. Joyce grinned and rolled her eyes when she noticed this.

"Honey..." she said, reaching over and shaking the newspaper.

"Huh?" said Jim, looking confused as he folded the newspaper down so he could see who had muddled with it. Jim then noticed that Jonathan was putting eggs onto El's plate and his mind quickly caught up to what was going on. He quickly shoved the newspaper onto the countertop. "Sorry. There's a good article in there about that auction we're going to today."

"What auction?" El asked as she took a bite of eggs before drinking a sip of coffee.

"There's a police auction later this afternoon that your Dad wants us to check out. Joyce explained. "Although, he pretty much has to go, being the police chief and all."

"Yeah, yeah, but you never know, honey, we may just find something amazing that we can get for a great price," Jim said as he piled some bacon onto his plate before handing the plate of bacon to El. 

"That's true," Joyce said. "What kind of things do you think will be there?"

Jim shrugged; his mouth was full of bacon, so he wasn't able to respond for a few seconds. He swallowed the bacon and took a swig of orange juice.

"I'm not sure. There's usually a lot of police memorabilia from officers killed in action in the area, but I usually have one of everything that's offered. I know there's some sort of big thing that's planned as the final item, but the police union has been super tight-lipped about what it is."

"Maybe it's some sort of vacation package or something," El said. "We sure as heck could use one of those."

"I wouldn't say no to a paid for vacation," Jonathan said as he finally sat down and started piling food onto his own plate. "Goodness knows we could all use one."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Joyce said. "So, anyway, what are you kids up to on this Friday? Got any big plans? El?"

El nodded.

"Yeah, me and Max are going to the mall later on," El said. "She's been wanting to hang out with me ever since summer started, but she's been busy with family stuff. Now that she's free, she said it's a good time for us to both get a wardrobe update. 

Jim groaned, causing everyone else to giggle.

"Does that mean you're going to want my credit card?" Jim asked as he grimaced, knowing what the answer would be.

“It's not like I'll be spending a thousand dollars on it or anything, Dad," El said with a grin. "I leave that to Joyce to spend on her wedding dress when you finally decide to propose!"

Both El and Joyce giggled while Jim groaned again. Will and Jonathan exchanged a look and grinned at each other; like Chris, Will and Jonathan had their own bet going on when Jim was finally going to pop the question.

"$100 maximum, all right?" Jim demanded as he handed his credit card over to El, who took it gleefully.

"Make it $150 and you've got a deal. There might be some new shoes I can use."

"$100 and not a penny more or I'll be grounding you until you reach retirement!" Jim exclaimed. He didn't look angry, but none of the others were quite sure if he was joking or not.

"Here, honey, take $50 from me," Joyce said, sliding a $50 bill across the table. “This can be an early Christmas present for you, how's that sound?"

Jim glared daggers at Joyce, but Joyce simply stared back at Jim with a superior expression on her face. 

"Are you sure, Joyce?" El asked, hesitating as she looked at the $50 bill.

"Of course, honey. You deserve it. Treat yourself!"

"Thanks!" El said happily as she took the $50 and put it in her purse along with Jim's credit card.

"How about you two?" Joyce asked, turning to her sons. "You have any plans, Jonathan?"

"Yeah, Nancy and I are going out with Robin and her girlfriend, Bianca," Jonathan answered before he took a large bite of eggs. 

"Is it getting serious between them?" El asked.

Jonathan swallowed.

"It sure seems like it," he replied. "They've been going steady for about two months and they see each other all the time. We've gone on a few double dates with them and with Steve as our fifth wheel, and they seem really happy together."

"Steve still hasn't found a girlfriend, strapping young lad like himself?" Jim asked.

Jonathan shook his head.

"I guess not," he said.

"Well, maybe someone will come along for him soon," Joyce said before she turned to Will. "How about you, sweetie?"

"Oh, uh..." Will said, looking toward El as if silently asking her permission if he was allowed to talk about visiting Mike. El nodded silently at Will, looking a little annoyed. "I'm going over to Mike's for lunch and a movie marathon with Dustin and Lucas, too. We're just gonna hang out at his house and watch movies."

"That sounds nice, honey," Joyce said with a smile. "You think you're gonna spend the night?"

"I don't know, maybe," Will said. "I'll call you if I decide to. I've already got a change of clothes in Mike's closet and an extra sleeping bag and toothbrush, so I'll have everything I need."

"Great. Well, I hope you have a good time with the boys," Joyce said. "And I hope you two have fun as well. And who knows, maybe we'll come home with some cool stuff from the auction!"

From there, the conversation shifted to the auction Jim and Joyce would be attending. Will tuned out the conversation and continued eating. He glanced at El, who had been unusually quiet when Will was talking. El had a blank expression on her face, which made Will feel slightly guilty that he was going to hang out with Mike. He knew that El missed Mike and hanging out with him. But in fairness to him, Will had known Mike on a more personal level longer than El. Will knew that El didn't hold that against Will, but it didn't mean that she felt hurt. 

Will sighed quietly to himself as he took another bite of food. Hopefully, he thought, this day will end up being better than how it was starting.

* * *

El stared around the interior of the Starcourt Mall. She couldn't help herself; though she frequently shopped at the mall with her family and friends, they mall always seemed to be adding and subtracting stores and other amenities so that it always felt like a new shopping mall. Starcourt Mall had a definite 80s vibe about it. The main colors of the mall were purple, pink and fuschia. There were record stores, an 80s arcade and even a movie store that still sold VHS tapes in it, despite VHS tapes going out of the mainstream nearly 15 years earlier. El always enjoyed shopping at Starcourt, and she was hoping this trip with Max would be a welcome distraction.

Though El knew that she made the right choice in her break up with Mike, she still felt sad and a little guilty about it. She was sad because she missed seeing Mike every day, even if she knew it would hurt the both of them seeing each other so soon. And she felt guilty for hurting Mike, although Will had assured her that Mike was all right after Will had talked to Mike. El also couldn't help but feel a little resentment toward Will, which also made her feel guilty. All in all, she was more than ready to focus on something other than her relationship woes.

El was just about to go outside to wait for Max when she saw a familiar head full of red hair walking toward her. Max waved at El when she saw her and picked up her speed to reach El. Max quickly pulled El into a hug, which El happily leaned into.

"Oh, thank you so much for inviting me for a shopping trip!" El exclaimed. "It's been way too long since we've had a girls day with just us!"

"No prob, El!" Max replied when they broke the hug. "It just sucks that Robin isn't here to join us, but who knows, maybe we'll still score some free ice cream from Scoops Ahoy. So, what do you think? You wanna start with an outfit or a makeover?"

"Let's do outfit first so this way I can see how I'll look it in with my makeover."

"Sounds good, where to?"

"Let's try J.C. Penney first," El said, grabbing Max's hand and pulling her toward the store. 

The two girls scurried toward J.C. Penney, which was located near the south end of the mall. It took them about a minute to reach the store and when they finally stopped just outside of J.C. Penney, they found themselves out of breath. El leaned on a bench to catch her breath while Max grabbed onto the nearby wall for support. Both of them were giggling and El felt lighter than she had in the two weeks since the breakup. She knew this was a great idea.

"All right: a brand new outfit or two, here we come!" Max exclaimed.

Max led El into the J.C. Penney store. They hurried over to the women's clothing section and started looking around for the perfect outfit. They spent about 20 minutes looking for clothes. Sometimes El would pull something off a rack and hold it up and Max would give her thoughts or vice versa. When a singular outfit didn't work out, El opted to find an outfit with multiple pieces. She found a black T-shirt and matching jacket. She also grabbed a new pair of jeans that were dark blue, a contrast from her normal style of wearing light blue jeans.

Once she had grabbed all pieces for her outfit, El walked over to the dressing rooms with Max in tow. Max waited at the counter while El changed into her new look. Once El was dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled widely. She thought her new look was badass and it was a new version of her. Quickly, El walked out of the dressing room and over to the counter.

"Wow!" Max exclaimed when she saw El, beaming. "You look incredible!"

"You think so?" El asked as she glanced down at her outfit and looked at it in various angles.

"Oh hell yeah. Girl, you look like you're ready to kick some ass and take names."

El giggled.

"Don't I always look like that?"

"Yeah, you do, but now you're practically screaming 'I'm gonna kick your ass and look fine while doing it.' Max said with a laugh. 

"Then I think this is the one!" El exclaimed. "I'll go change out of this and we'll see if we can find another set so I don't have to wear just this one!"

El hurried back into the changing room and changed back into her clothes. She gathered her new outfit into a neat pile and carried it out of the changing room. Max had already grabbed a second pair of the outfit for El to buy as well. They walked over to the register and El paid for the two sets of her new outfit before they walked out of the J.C. Penney store. 

"Haircut or ice cream break next?” Max asked.

“Haircut,” El said. “I think it’s time for me to invent a whole new look that'll knock everyone's socks off."

Max grinned at her and led El over to the nearest hair salon. El checked in and was called within moments of her arrival. She left her bag with Max before following the stylist to the station to cut her hair.

"So, what are we thinking of getting, dear?" asked the hair stylist. "We can do any number of styles and cuts, just let me know what suits your fancy."

"I'm thinking it'll be something that'll really blow people's minds," El said, picking up a pamphlet full of suggested hairstyles. She glanced over the catalog before she saw one that made her pause. "Oh wow," she gasped. "I think this is the one."

"We can certainly do that," the stylist replied with a smile. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Oh definitely," El said. "It'll give a whole new look and it'll look great with my new outfit!"

The hair stylist smiled and nodded before getting to work. It took nearly half an hour to get El's new hairstyle ready. When she was done, El looked at herself in the mirror and was almost taken aback by how different she looked. Though she looked the same in her face, her hair looked like it had been completely redone. She had gotten it cut much shorter than her usual shorter length style. Her hair had also been dyed black and was slicked back. 

"Well, dear, what do you think?"

"I love it," El replied with a huge smile on her face. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, deary. We're all finished her so I'll take you to go and get this paid for and you'll be on your way."

El returned to the front of the hair salon, where Max was looking at her phone while sitting in the same spot El had left her in. She paid for the hair cut and hair dye before she walked over to Max. El cleared her throat, and Max looked up at her. Max's eyes widened as she took in El's new hair style. El felt her cheeks heating up, and hoped that Max's reaction was a good thing.

"Wow, you look..." Max said. "Bitchin'."

El grinned at her.

"Bitchin'," she repeated.

"Like, damn El, you're gonna be kicking ass and taking names for all of senior year with this new look!" Max exclaimed. "People are gonna fear you and they'll want to be you!"

"Good," El said with a smirk. "Maybe then they'll understand that I have powers."

Both girls giggled loudly as they left the hair salon and returned to the main shopping area of the mall. Without preamble, they started walking over to Scoops Ahoy to get some ice cream. When they reached the counter, the worker behind it seemed to recognize them.

"Hey, you're Robin's friends, right?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Max asked.

"I've seen you guys come in here before with her. Robin's awesome and any friend of hers is a friend of mine. Your order will be on the house."

"Are you sure?" El asked, frowning. "We don't mind paying, really."

"No, no it's fine! Anything for some friends of the Scoops Ahoy team!"

"Well, only if you're sure it's all right," Max said. The girl nodded at her. "Okay, then, I'll take a fudge sundae."

"And I'll just have the peanut butter double scoop," El added.

"Coming right up!" said the worker. She immediately went to work and started to prepare Max and El's orders. Within a minute, she was finished and was handing the ice cream to the girls.

"Thanks," El said, taking her cone and handing Max's sundae to her. "We left a nice tip in the jar for you."

The worker grinned.

"I appreciate that! Tell Robin I said hi. It was lovely meeting you both!"

"Yeah, you too," Max said fondly as she turned and led El away from the ordering counter and toward a nearby table that was spread away from the other patrons who were eating in the store. 

The girls sat down and started to eat their ice cream in a comfortable silence. When Max was about halfway through her sundae, she put down her spoon and wiped her hands on a napkin before she looked up at El.

"So....I know this is kinda awkward, but how are you doing? I mean, since the breakup?"

El carefully sat her ice cream cone down on a napkin. She had finished most of it, with just a smile pile of it left in the cone. She sighed deeply before answering.

"I've been better," she said honestly.

"What's on your mind? We can talk about whatever."

El sighed again.

"I don't know, I guess I've just been feeling guilty ever since we broke up. I know that I hurt Mike and that he didn't take it well. Will told me that Mike was bottling it all in. And I hate that I can't go and talk to Mike about it. I know he needs his space and I need mine. It just sucks, this time after the break up."

Max nodded at her while she looked at El contemplatively. 

"That's not all that's on your mind, though," she said smartly.

El raised her eyebrows.

"Am I that obvious to read?" she asked.

"Kinda," Max said with a nod. "So, spill. What else is your your mind?"

"Max, you don't have to sit here and listen to me talk about my relationship woes," El said, exasperated. "Really, I mean it. We can talk about anything else."

"And we will," Max promised. "But I think you really need to talk to somebody about how you're feeling and since the boys are all at Mike's house, you can just talk to me about what's on your mind."

"All right," El said, sighing. "Are you sure it's not too much?"

"Girl, spill. You obviously need to talk about it. So, what else is on your mind?"

"Well, I can't help...this is gonna sound bad," El said, hesitating slightly. Max nodded at her and El took a deep breath. "Some part of me can't help but be mad at Will. I know that sounds awful, but it's true. He's gotten to talk to Mike ever since we broke up, but I haven't gotten to. It just sucks that he gets to talk to one of my best friends while I can't because Mike needs his space."

El huffed loudly and picked up her ice cream again, trying to eat the cream as quickly as she could so she could get to the cone. Max stared at her thoughtfully for a few moments before she responded. 

"You know, El, you don't have to feel bad about all of this," she said. "I mean, yeah, I get it: it sucks not being able to talk to Mike. But can you really blame Will for going over to Mike's house and spending time with Mike? I mean, I know we all met each other on that first day of kindergarten, but Mike and Will have been best friends ever since that day. We didn't even become that friendly with them until after Christmas that year."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," El said before she took the last bite of her ice cream cone. "And I know I really shouldn't be mad at Will, but I guess I'm, like, jealous that he gets to see Mike."

"And that's okay," Max said, reaching across the table and placing a hand on El's arm. "You're allowed to feel jealous, El. Jealously not wrong, it's understandable."

"I just feel bad for being mad at Will when he hasn't actually done anything."

"Will would understand. Trust me, if there's anything that's true about Will, it's that he is the most empathetic person in the world. I think if you were honest with him, he would understand, El. And he would forgive you."

"Do you really think so?"

Max nodded. 

"I do. And I understand you worrying about Mike, but you did break up with him for all the right reasons, El. I don't think it was ever going to work out between you guys, no matter how hard you tried. You don't have to feel guilty for hurting him, El. You could be glad that you guys didn't get hurt as badly as you would have if you had tried to keep making it work. Things could have gotten ugly and you guys could have ended your friendship, too. I think both of you just need a little time to get over what happened and then you'll both be okay and you guys can keep being friends."

El smiled as she wiped away some tears that were falling down her face. 

"I'm just glad we didn't ruin things. I don't think I'd want to live in a world where I'm not friends with Mike. Or you. Or Will. Or Dustin and Lucas."

Max shuddered.

"Let's not even go there," she said with a grimace. "We'd all be lost without each other. But everything will be okay in the end, El. I promise."

El reached down and squeezed Max's hand with her own.

"Thanks, Max," she said. 

* * *

"And what can I get for you?" the waitress asked.

"I'll have a burger cooked medium well," said Jonathan as he handed her a menu. 

"And I'll have the same, but cooked well done," said Nancy.

"I'm just gonna have a Caesar salad, can you put the dressing on the side?" asked Robin.

"Sure can," said the waitress.

"And I think I'll do a veggie burger with sweet potato fries," said Bianca, Robin's girlfriend. 

The waitress made a note and collected their menus before she turned to Steve, who was sitting at the end of their table, looking somewhat out of place as the only one without a date. Steve was also still wearing his sunglasses for some reason, as though he were a celebrity trying to go incognito and not be recognized out in public. 

"And for you, stud?"

Steve ignored her remark and instead ordered a burger in a flat tone. 

"All right, I'll get these in for you," the waitress said as she took Steve's menu and walked away to put in their order. 

"She seems pretty cute, Steve," Robin said.

"Yeah, maybe you'll be able to score a little somethin' somethin'," Bianca said with a laugh.

Steve shrugged.

"You guys know I'm not really into the whole dating thing right now," he said. "She is pretty, though, I'll definitely grant her that."

"No dating?" Jonathan said in a teasing voice. "Well, too bad you'll be missing out, Steven"

"Yeah, yeah," Steve said, absentmindedly swiping his hand through the air before taking a sip of his Diet Coke. 

"Anyway, so what are you two up to?" Nancy asked. "Have any big plans for the summer?"

"Nothing too crazy," said Robin. "Work has been murder the past couple of weeks with all of the kids who all suddenly want ice cream. I'm sure Steve has bitched at you guys already about it." 

Steve grunted with the others chuckled. 

"Anyway, we're pretty much just relaxing this summer," Robin said. "Work will keep me busy most of the time."

"And how's your modeling going, Bianca?" Nancy asked. 

"Same old shit," Bianca said. "I'm just glad the damn swimsuit model season is over so I don't have to focus so much on my looks."

"They don't have like a shoot in the summer?" Jonathan asked. 

Bianca shook her head.

"Nah, they get all that shit done in the winter," Bianca said. "So while we're all freezing, we're supposed to look like we're in Maui tanning. Meanwhile, your titties are pretty much frozen to your chest and your toes feel like they're gonna fall off." 

Everyone started laughing at this as the waitress reappeared with their order, assisted by a waiter. Their food was set in front of them was they continued laughing. Nancy was the only one to recover from the laughing fit and thanked the waitress, who nodded at her and walked away with her helper. 

"Anyway, what's up with you guys?" Robin asked after she took a bite of her salad. "How's the internship at the newspaper going?"

"Pretty good," Jonathan said. "They've got us doing real work instead of just getting them coffee."

"Yeah, let's just say thank god I didn't try interning there in the 80s. One of the reporters who worked there back then was telling me some horror stories from back then. A lot of sexist bullshit going on back then."

"Oh hell naw," said Bianca indignantly. "I'd have been the fuck outta there if any of that shit was going on."

"Me too," Nancy said, nodding before she took a bit of her burger. "But things are different now. Most of the editors there are women, so it's nice to work in an environment where lots of women are in charge."

"Any gossip on anything happening in town?" Robin asked. 

Jonathan and Nancy exchanged a glance before they giggled.

"Nothing too exciting," Nancy said. "Other than the mayor may or may not be having an affair with his secretary."

"Shut the fuck up!" Bianca yelled.

Jonathan and Nancy shushed her, glancing around and hoping that nobody had overheard them. Bianca looked slightly mortified and lowered her head so that none of the other patrons in the diner could see her. Jonathan and Nancy chuckled as they looked back at Bianca while Steve remained focused on eating his burger, unbothered by the conversation happening around him. 

"Sorry," Bianca said sheepishly. "I just...wow, seriously? The mayor is having an affair with his secretary?"

"Well, the evidence is piling up to show that he is," Nancy said with a smirk. "But we aren't ready to go public with it yet. The ducks are still lining up in a row."

"Damn, well y'all gotta get me a copy of that issue of the paper before it comes out," said Bianca. "I knew I didn't like that mayor for a reason. Now that I know he's a player I know why." 

Everyone at the table laughed loudly at this, except for Steve, who merely chuckled as he finished eating his burger and went to finish off his fries. Nancy glanced at him, frowning, but Steve ignored her and kept eating in silence.

"How about you, Steve?" asked Robin. "Any good plans this summer?"

"Not really," Steve said as he put a fry into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed it. "Just working. Nothing else."

"No family plans?" Jonathan asked. "Doesn't your family usually go on some sort of family vacation together?"

Steve shrugged.

"We're not going this year. Dad has to work."

"Why can't you and your Mom go?" Nancy asked.

"Mom doesn't really get along with Dad's side of the family, and I don't like them that much either. So I guess we're just staying home this year."

Steve went back to eating his fries and seemed uninterested in carrying on the conversation any further. The others ate in a comfortable silence, with one of them occasionally sharing a thought or two before they resumed eating. Once they were done, Robin stood up. 

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I could sure go for a milkshake right now!" she said. "We should go up to the counter and order some!"

"Oooh, girl, you read my mind, but we're gonna share one, all right?" said Bianca, standing up and grabbing Robin's hand.

"Yeah, I'll go too," said Jonathan.

"Nancy? Steve?" Robin said, looking down at them.

Steve shook his head. Nancy hesitated, looking from Robin to Steve, frowning. She looked back up at Robin and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll share with Jonathan, but I'm gonna stay here with Steve and have a little chat. You guys go ahead."

Jonathan nodded and went with Robin and Bianca to the counter to order milkshakes. Once the others were out of earshot, Nancy leaned closer to Steve to talk to him. 

"Something going on?" she asked in a gentle voice. "You seem pretty quiet today."

Steve shrugged and simply stared back at Nancy with a blank expression on his face.

"Steve, come on. I know something's on your mind. You can talk to me you, you know. I'm always here to talk with you."

"I know, Nance," Steve said in an even voice. "It's nothing you have to worry about."

"You're still allowed to talk about it, Steve. You don't have to hold it in. So, talk to me. But first, can you take those glasses off?"

Steve sighed and did as Nancy asked. Nancy noticed right away that Steve's eyes were red, as if he had been crying.

"Steve! What's going on? Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Nance," Steve said before Nancy cut him off.

"Bullshit!" she exclaimed, struggling to keep her voice low. "I know something is bothering you, Steve. Tell me what's going on, please! I need to know."

Steve sighed deeply.

"This is gonna make me sound like a grade A asshole but since you keep asking," he started before he took another breath to keep himself calm. "I kind of wish you and Jonathan and Robin would quit inviting me to these double dates."

Nancy scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not like I'm jealous or anything, Nance. You know me: I'm not interested in dating anyone right now, or probably ever again."

"Then what's going on, Steve? Why don't you wanna come on our dates with us?"

"I just...God, I don't wanna sound like a complete prick or something here. But, I don't wanna come on these dates anymore because I'm sick of being the fifth wheel. You guys do all the couples shit, which is fine, but I don't want you guys to keep inviting me if that's all you're gonna do. I know today has been cool, but that's the exception, not the rule. Look, I'm sorry, Nance, this is just how I feel. And besides, it's not like you guys have to invite me to your double dates."

Nancy frowned at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You guys don't have to invite me to hang out on your dates just because you think I'm lonely or some shit, Nance. I don't mind hanging out at home by myself while you guys go on your double dates. I just feel awkward sitting with you guys, and I feel like you guys would all have a better time without me there to crash your dates."

Steve sat back in his chair and took a sip of his Diet Coke. He shrugged his shoulders again while Nancy simply stared at him for a few moments.

"Sorry, Nancy. I didn't mean to upset you or anything. And I can go. I don't have to stay."

Steve made to stand up, but stopped when Nancy gently grabbed his arm and shook her head. He frowned as he sat back down properly and looked at Nancy in confusion.

"What?" he said.

Nancy reached across the table and placed her hand over Steve's wrist. She rubbed her thumb gently across Steve's wrist and Steve felt himself touched by her gesture.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Steve," Nancy said. "I'm glad you can trust me enough to be honest with me about how you feel. But, I want you to know, Steve, that we don't invite you on our double dates because we feel obligated to or anything. We do it because you're our friend and we love you like a brother."

"Yeah, why wouldn't we?" came Jonathan's voice. Both Nancy and Steve startled, having not seen the others return with their milkshakes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make your jump," Jonathan said sheepishly as he sat down next to Nancy and Robin and Bianca took their seats as well. "But, really, Steve, we want you on our double dates."

"Yeah, they wouldn't be the same without you," added Robin. "Besides, who else will laugh at my shitty jokes other than my lovely girlfriend?"

Everyone chuckled lightly, including Steve, who looked happier than he had been throughout lunch.

"You do tell some pretty shitty jokes," he said with a smile.

"Damn right she does," said Bianca, giving Robin a kiss on the cheek. "Besides, Steve, you've been the real cool one among us, Mr. Former Popular Guy In High School. And you're still pretty cool, Steve. You didn't turn into one of those asshole dudebros like every other white dude who was popular in high school. You're funny and kind and that counts for a whole lot."

"You're not a burden by being the fifth wheel on our double dates, Steve. You complete our group. Without you, we'd be lost."

Steve found himself blushing profusely at everyone's comments. 

"Thanks, guys. I'm sorry I was such a buzzkill. I guess I didn't realize how much you guys cared about me."

"Well, don't you forget it!" Nancy said as she stood up and threw her arms around Steve. The others stood up and did the same and soon all five of them were engulfed in a rather awkward group hug. They were all laughing loudly, none of them caring about the looks they were getting from others. 

"Are you feelin' the love, Steve?" Robin demanded, practically shouting into Steve's ears.

"I'm feelin' the love!" Steve shouted back.

* * *

Jim stood backstage of the Hawkins High School auditorium, where the police auction was going to be held. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down as he waited for the inevitable announcement that the auction was going to begin. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he pulled it out.

_ Joyce:  _ _ I've got us good seats, baby! You're gonna rock your speech so don't be nervous. Just keep it short and sweet and you'll be done before you know it! _

Joyce had ended the text with a heart emoji, which Jim sent back to her along with a word of thanks. He put his phone back in his pocket.

"Easy for you to say 'Don't be nervous' Miss Talks to Literally Every Customer Who Comes Into Her Store," Jim muttered under his breath, chuckling to himself slightly.

Through the curtains of the stage, Jim could see the police department's spokeswoman approaching the podium. He took several breaths to calm his increasing heart rate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll please take your seats, we're ready to begin,” the spokeswoman said. 

There was a general noise of movement as those attending the auction took their seats. Once it had quieted down, the spokeswoman spoke again.

"Thank you everyone for coming," she said. "On behalf of the Hawkins Police Department, I'd like to welcome you all to today's Hawkins Police Auction. To start things off, Police Chief Jim Hopper would like to say a few words. Jim?"

"The hell I'd like to say a few words," Jim muttered as he heard the audience cheering loudly for him. He took a deep breath before he walked onto the stage, waving as several cameras started flashing as his picture was taken. Jim shook hands with the spokeswoman and she left the stage. 

Jim smiled at the audience, trying his best to not look like he was grimacing at being the center of attention. He scanned the seats and quickly found Joyce seated near the center of the audience. Joyce smiled and waved at him and Jim smiled at her. Jim then politely smiled at the rest of the audience, which was still cheering for him. He waved halfheartedly at the audience and the news cameras. 

Finally, after about a minute of applause, the audience quieted down and Jim cleared his throat before he spoke.

"If you guys were here to see me, then I think you're gonna be a little disappointed."

The audience laughed heartily at him. Joyce was beaming at him brightly. Jim chuckled at his joke before he continued on.

"I'm glad you laughed at that, because the rest of this speech is going to be rather unfunny," he said, getting some more laughs from the audience. "I'll echo Sherry, our spokeswoman, for a moment by thanking you all again for coming to this auction today. We're here to raise money for the Hawkins Police Department's Police Memorial Foundation. The foundation is set up to help families of officers who are killed in the line of duty in Hawkins and the surrounding communities that we serve. Although we have only lost two officers this year, that is two officers too many. I want to pay my respects to our fallen officers, Daniel McCarthy and Susan Carlin."

At this, Jim bowed his head and closed his eyes. Most of the audience members mimicked him. After about 30 seconds of silence, Jim cleared his throat and opened his eyes again.

"May Daniel and Susan's souls rest in peace," he said. "Their families are here with us today and will receive monetary assistance from the Foundation after today's auction. I want to thank their families for attending and extend my condolences to them once again.”

The audience clapped politely as Jim gestured to the families of the fallen officers.

"Our blessings to your families and all the families of the officers we have lost," Jim said. "As I said, the funds we raise during today's auction will benefit the Police Memorial Foundation, so thank you all again for attending today's auction. And now I'd like to present our auctioneer: Mr. Austin Bennett, who, as many of you know, is a retired Hawkins Police Officer."

The audience cheered loudly, with many of the attendees jumping to their feet as they clapped for Bennett, who appeared on the side of the stage. He was an elderly man who had the look of an officer gone to seed; he had gained some weight in his retirement, but still looked muscular and ready to take on anyone who challenged him physically. Jim joined the audience in clapping for Bennett and the two men shook hands. Jim leaned in closer to Bennett and whispered into his ear.

"Knock 'em dead, killer."

"You know I will, kiddo," Bennett whispered back, causing Jim to chuckle.

Jim then exited the stage to the left while Bennett continued to get cheers from the audience. He made his way off the stage and around to one of the side entrances to the auditorium. Jim hurried to the chair Joyce and saved for him and sat down, relieved to be out of the spotlight.

"See, I told you you had nothing to worry about," Joyce said.

"Yeah, yeah," Hopper said, resigned. "I know; I should always remember to listen to you." 

"Yes, you should," said Joyce as she gave Jim a kiss on the cheek. 

"I just hope this goes smoothly. They didn't offer much when they told us what would be auctioned. But they say the last thing they're giving away is totally worth it."

Jim and Joyce turned their attention to Bennett, who was reading off the first item being auctioned: an old policeman's revolver. Jim rolled his eyes slightly as the bidding war began. An officer ended up getting the revolver for $500, a rather high amount considered that at its peak, it retailed for about $75. 

The two continued listening as several old police utilities were given out. There were hardly any other items worth bidding for and both Jim and Joyce found themselves disappointed by the lack of variety. After what seemed an eternity, Bennett announced the final giveaway.

"All right, ladies and gentleman, thank you again for participating in today's Hawkins Police Auction," Bennett said in his commanding voice. "We've raised a substantial amount of money for the Police Memorial Foundation today. Now, to close out the auction, we have a special prize for the final item."

Bennett held up what appeared to be a set of tickets.

"This right here are tickets to an all expenses paid Disney Cruise Vacation!" Bennett announced, to the audience's astonishment. "Yes, you heard right: an all expense paid vacation! These are good for 10 spots on this summer's Disney Cruise Line, which will set sail from Galveston, Texas next week!"

The audience murmured in interest. Jim and Joyce turned to look at each other. Joyce had an excited expression on her face. Jim sighed when he saw it. 

"Let me guess: you want me to try for it," he said in a resigned tone.

"Of course I do, Jim!" Joyce exclaimed. "An all expenses paid vacation and it's a Disney Cruise? Come on, that's a no-brainer!"

"Who the hell else would we take with us?"

"I'll start the bidding at $100," Bennett said.

"Shut up and take the bid!" Joyce shouted. 

"All right, all right," Hopper said, sighing to himself. "I'll do $100," he shouted.

"$100 from Police Chief Jim Hopper!" Bennett yelled, sounding particularly enthused. "It's about time you entered the auction, boy! Do I hear $150?"

"$150!" called another officer.

"$200!" Jim called.

"I hear $200!"

"$250!" called the officer again.

"I hear $250," Bennett said. "Do I hear another offer?"

"$500!" Jim shouted.

"I hear $500 from Jim Hopper! Going once, going..."

"$750!" the officer shouted.

"We've got $750!" Bennett yelled. "Do we have any other offers? Going once...Going twice!"

Jim stood up, his commanding presence taking over the room.

"$1000!" he yelled.

"$1000 for a Disney Cruise Vacation for 10 from Police Chief Jim Hopper!" Bennett shouted. "Do I hear any other offers? Going once!" Silence. "Going twice!" More silence. "SOLD to Police Chief Jim Hopper!" 

Bennett banged the gavel to signal the end of the bid. Jim sat back down, feeling flushed after beating one of his officers in the bidding. He turned to Joyce, who was beaming at him."

"A thousand bucks for an all-expenses paid vacation for 10 people?" she said in an approving tone. "We could do a whole lot worse, Jim."

Jim grinned sheepishly at her.

"I still don't know who all we're bringing on this trip. I mean, us and the kids, of course, but that's only five spots." 

"And we can bring Nancy so Jonathan is with his girlfriend, and Will can invite all of his friends and that will get us to ten!"

"And how are we gonna supervise all those kids on our own?" Hopper asked, exasperated. 

"You leave that to me," Joyce said with a smirk. Jim frowned at her. "Okay, look: Nancy can stay in a room with El and Max. Jonathan can camp out with Dustin and Lucas. And Mike and Will are mature enough that they can have a room to themselves without supervision. And that means you and I have a room, kid free!"

Hopper sighed while Joyce smiled at him with a satisfied expression on her face.

"I see you've got all your ducks in a row," he said. "All right, we'll go."

"Great!" Joyce said, pulling out her phone. "Well, I'll just give the kids a call and let them know what's happening." 

* * *

"I'm still bitter about that change!" Dustin exclaimed.

Mike and Will groaned slightly while Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah? What change is that, Dustin?" Lucas asked sarcastically.

"I'm glad you asked, Lucas!" Dustin said proudly. "They should never have changed Anakin to be Hayden Christensen. First of all, it makes no sense, and second of all, Luke wouldn't recognize him! That's not what Anakin looked like when he was unmasked!"

"Oh my god. Who. The. Hell. Cares?" Lucas asked in an annoyed tone.

"I do! And you should too!" Dustin said as the credits for Return of the Jedi started to roll and the Star Wars fanfare music played over them. "Any Star Wars fan who truly cares about the films should care that they made such a bogus change!"

"Well, I don't care," said Lucas.

"Mike, come on man, are you with me?" Dustin asked.

"No comment," Mike said as he took the Blu Ray disc out of the player and shut off the TV. "I know better than to get in between your arguments!"

Dustin groaned and turned to Will, his last hope for an ally. 

"Will, buddy, you're my only hope!"

Will shrugged as he looked at Dustin, who had a hopeful expression on his face.

"I mean, I see both sides. I see why you'd prefer the old Anakin because that's who we see when he's unmasked. But I definitely see why the change happened. Personally, I don't mind either."

"I'll take that as half a win!" Dustin said triumphantly.

"Whatever," Lucas said, rolling his eyes again.

"Um, hey guys?" Mike said, suddenly sounding serious. "Can I talk to you all about something for a second?"

"Of course, Mike," Will said, speaking in the soft voice that always seemed reserved for Mike. "What's up?"

"Um..." Mike said, glancing around at all of his friends, who all looked at him with encouraging expressions on their faces. "I just wanted to say...gee I don't know about this...Oh, fuck it, I'll just say it: I wanted to say 'thank you' to you guys."

"For what?" Dustin asked, frowning at Mike. 

"For being so supportive of me the last couple of weeks ever since El and I...you know," Mike said, gesturing vaguely in the air. "It's just, I know I haven't been the most pleasant person in the world ever since that happened, but you guys still keep coming over here to hang out with me and make me feel better about it. So I guess, just thank you all for being there for me."

Will smiled at Mike.

"Mike, you know you never have to thank us for being your friend," he said.

"Yeah, we've been best friends forever," Lucas said. "This is just what best friends do for each other when they're feeling down."

"We're always here for you, Mike," added Dustin.

Mike smiled at his friends, feeling more grateful than ever for them. Suddenly, Will let out a squeak and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Sorry, guys, Mom is calling me. I'll be right back."

Will stood up from the sofa and walked out of the living room, answering his phone as he walked. Dustin and Lucas turned to look at Mike, who was looking somewhat sad.

"Something else up, Mike?" asked Lucas.

"I just wanna say that I'm sorry if I've made things weird for you guys with El," Mike said in a quiet voice. "I mean, I know we're all friends and we've been friends forever, and I'm sure it's been awkward if you guys have seen her since you've been hanging out with me all the time."

Dustin and Lucas glanced at each other before Dustin spoke up.

"It's okay, Mike. Yeah, it's been a little awkward the couple of times we've seen El, but we expected that," he said.

"Yeah, it hasn't been too bad. We just don't talk about you, or your guys' relationship when we've seen her. It's a little awkward when she asks us what we've been doing, but mainly we've told her that we've just been hanging out together."

"I'm sure she's bought that story," Mike said with a grin.

"Oh, there's no way," Dustin said, grinning as well. "She knows we're full of shit, but she doesn't call us out on it because she doesn't want to make things more awkward."

"Yeah, I get that," Mike said. "I'm just nervous about seeing her again once we've gotten over what happened. I don't want things to be too weird."

"Maybe they won't be, Mike," Lucas said. "You guys were friends first and El knows that. I think you guys will be fine after you guys stop thinking about the breakup and you guys remember how good of friends you are."

"You think so?" Mike asked, sounding hopeful.

Lucas nodded.

"Yeah, I think so too," Dustin said, grinning and nodding

"Thanks guys," Mike said as he saw Will return to the living room out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to look at Will, who had an excited expression on his face. "Will?" Mike asked.

Dustin and Lucas noticed that Will was back with them and saw his expression.

"What's up?" Dustin asked.

"Uh, Mom called and she told me some good news," Will said, trying to contain his excitement and failing miserably.

"What is it?" Mike asked. "Is something going on?"

"We're going on a Disney Cruise, guys!" Will said.

"Whoa, your family is going on a Disney Cruise?" Dustin asked, looking both excited for Will and downtrodden at the same time. 

"No," Will said, shaking his head. "I mean, yes, we are, but you guys are going too!"

"What was that?" asked Lucas.

"Jim won an all expenses paid Disney Cruise Trip and it's for 10 people! Mom told me that she wants all of you guys, plus Max and Nancy to go with us so we can all be together for one last big adventure together before senior year!"

Mike, Dustin and Lucas stared back at Will, dumbfounded. Will was beaming at them and hadn't looked so happy in such a long time.

"Are you serious, Will?" Dustin asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course I am, Dustin!" Will shouted. "All of you guys are coming and we're all going on the cruise next week!"

Dustin and Lucas let out noises of excitement and tackled Will in a group hug. The three boys fell onto the ground, laughing and holding on to each other. Mike, meanwhile, remained standing, looking down at his friends with a blank expression on his face. Will seemed to notice this before Dustin and Lucas did and frowned at Mike before he distangled himself from the group hug and stood up again.

"You okay, Mike?"

Mike blinked and seemed to pull himself out of a deep thought. He smiled warmly at Will, which calmed Will's nerves about what Mike was thinking.

"Yeah, Willie, I'm great," he whispered. "It'll be a fun trip."

Will smiled at Mike and threw his arms around him, pulling Mike in for a tight hug. Mike held Will just as tightly and Will felt his heart racing.

* * *

Will shut the light in the bathroom off as he exited it. He walked over to Mike's room, yawning slightly. Mike was already tucked under the blankets on his bed. Will sat down on Mike's bed, ignoring the sleeping bag that was sitting on the ground for him.

"What's up, Will?" Mike asked tiredly.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, frowning at Mike.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" 

"I don't know, it's just you seemed less excited than I thought you would be about the trip. Do you not wanna go, Mike? Cause it's okay if you don't, but I just want you to be there so that all of my best friends are with me on this last adventure before our senior year."

Mike sighed deeply, sitting up in his bed. Will scooted closer to him and grabbed onto Mike's hand instinctively, noticing that Mike was shaking slightly. Mike stilled at Will's touch. 

"I just...I don't know if I should go, Will. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer while all of you guys are having a good time."

"What do you mean, Mike?"

Mike sighed again.

"I just don't feel like you guys should have to deal with me moping because of my breakup. I mean, I  _ am _ getting over it, but being around El might make it harder for me. And I just don't want you guys to have to suffer with my bad emotions while you're supposed to be enjoying yourselves."

"Oh, Mikey," Will said gently as he lifted the blankets and crawled into the space next to Mike. There was plenty of room since Mike had long ago done away with his old childhood bed and upgraded to a queen. Will rested his body on his side as he looked at Mike and grabbed onto Mike's hand again. 

"You don't have to worry about that," Will said in his most gentle voice. "I know how hard it will be for you, but I want you to know that I'm gonna be there for you the whole time."

"You don't have to do that, Will..."

"Hey," Will said, cutting Mike off and leaning closer to him. "You're not being a burden, Mike. I want to be there for you because you're my best friend. And I'm your best friend, Mike. This is just what best friends do for each other. We're there for each other when we need one another and that's that. Okay?"

Mike blinked and nodded, squeezing Will's hand in response.

"Okay, Willie," Mike whispered.

Will leaned forward and pulled Mike into a hug. Mike leaned into the embrace and rested his head on Will's chest. Will hesitated before he gave Mike a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"I know you think that your problems don't mean anything, Mike, but they do. You're allowed to feel what you're feeling. And I really want you to go on this cruise with me. It wouldn't be the same without you, Mikey. Will you go with me? Please?"

There was a pause as Mike closed his eyes, the sleep threatening to overpower him. But Mike squeezed Will's hand again to let him know he was still awake.

"Okay," Mike whispered just loud enough for Will to hear him. "I'll go with you."

Will smiled as he gave Mike another kiss on the head and wrapped his arms even tighter around Mike. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, having the best night's rest he had had in years. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you can probably guess that I took the El Bitchin' Look and gave it to her in this chapter. I envision her as wearing that style for the rest of the story, though she may not always have her hair slicked back like she does in season two. 
> 
> Hope you all have been enjoying this story! It's been fun for me to come back and see what all I came up with for this story. And I've realized that the ending I have, while fitting, does need some adjusting and I will be adding more to it to give this story and you, my readers, the ending you so rightfully deserve. Stay tuned!


	4. On Board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With The Party on board the Disney Cruise ship, Mike and El finally have talk about their breakup while the others take in their surroundings on the trip. Max reveals a secret she never thought she would talk about, and Jonathan and Nancy find out they're gonna be put to work while on the cruise ship.

Mike took one last look at his list, mentally checking off everything that he had packed for the cruise ship vacation. It was the last week of June, and everyone was due to fly out to Galveston early the next morning in order to board the Disney Cruise Ship. Ever since Mike had promised Will he would go on the trip, Mike actually found himself getting excited for it. Although he knew things might be a little awkward between him and El, it had been almost a month since their breakup, and he knew it was time for them to be friends again. He planned on talking to El once they were on the ship and away from Hawkins. For some reason, being away from home seemed to Mike the best scenario for him and El to have a heart-to-heart. 

Once Mike had looked down his list and was satisfied that he didn't miss anything, he folded his list and put it into his backpack before finally letting himself relax on his bed. He sat down for a moment before he plopped down into bed, suddenly feeling tired. He was just about to get properly into bed when his phone started buzzing.

He picked up his phone, where he saw a FaceTime call from Will's cousin Chris coming in. Mike sat up properly in his bed before he answered the call. Chris quickly appeared on his phone, sitting in his own bed at his home.

"Hey Chris," Mike said. "Good to hear from you and actually see you."

"Hey Mike," Chris said with a grin. "I got your text a little bit ago. Sorry I didn't respond sooner. We were out at dinner with some family friends and ended up staying late and chatting with them."

"No, it's okay, I understand. I'm just glad you called back."

"What's up? You sounded pretty anxious in your text you sent me. Something going on, Mike?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Talk to me, buddy."

Mike took a deep breath.

"Can I trust you to keep a secret, Chris?" 

To Mike's surprise, Chris started to chuckle. 

"What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Chris said, chuckling and waving his hand. "It's just that El and Will have both been coming to me with stuff lately. It's kinda nice being everyone's secret keeper."

"Oh," Mike said, suddenly feeling guilty. "Well, I don't have to lay another one on you, Chris. I can talk to someone else..."

"No, no, Mike, it's fine. Really, it's fine. I don't mind listening. It's been nice having everyone open up to me even though we're not together."

Mike smiled softly.

"Are you sure, Chris?"

Chris nodded.

"Tell me what's on your mind, Mike."

"All right, well you have to keep this a secret. You can't tell anyone, but especially Will and El, okay?"

"You have my word, Mike," Chris said, suddenly looking serious. "You can trust me to keep this to myself unless you tell me otherwise."

Mike sighed again before he responded.

"Okay, well, you know El and I broke up, right?" he asked. Chris nodded. "And you can probably guess that I didn't take it well." Chris nodded again. "Well, Will has been super supportive. All the guys have, but Will especially. And it's been really nice having him to lean on these past few weeks, and I'm really excited to go on this trip with him. But..."

Mike trailed off, nervous about letting his feelings be heard out loud. With his feelings just in his mind, that meant they were just his to deal with. Confessing his feelings to someone else made them real and there was no going back.

"You can tell me, Mike. I won't tell a soul."

"Okay, here goes," Mike said, sighing again. "All right, well, the night that Will stayed over, the same day we learned about the cruise, he and I were talking. He told me that he really wanted me to go on the cruise with him. And then he...he..."

"Kissed you on the forehead?" Chris suggested with a knowing look.

Mike's eyes lit up in shock.

"How'd you know about that?!" he demanded.

Chris chuckled weakly.

"Will may or may not have told me about that happening," Chris said sheepishly. 

"He did?" Mike asked. "Well, what did you say?"

"That's between him and me, Mike. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone what we discussed. Frankly, I'm pretty pissed at myself for even telling you that he told me he kissed you on the forehead."

Mike's demeanor relaxed a little.  _ So Will had talked to Chris about this already? Did that mean that maybe Will was having the same feelings as Mike? _ Mike shook his head briefly, putting that thought aside for a moment to focus on his conversation with Chris. 

"Well, yes, he did kiss me on the forehead. And I promised him I would go. And then he told me 'goodnight' and kissed my forehead again. And it was really nice, Chris. Is that weird? That I liked getting kissed on the forehead by my best friend?"

"No, I don't think that's weird, Mike," Chris said reassuringly. "He was just showing you affection. It's nothing to worry about."

"Well..." Mike said, hesitating slightly. "What if I wanted to do it too? Kiss Will's forehead, I mean."

"I don't think there would be anything wrong with that," Chris replied with a shrug. "You guys have been best friends since forever. It makes sense that you guys are affectionate with each other."

Mike nodded and shut his eyes for a moment, swallowing down the lump that was forming in his throat because of what he wanted to ask next.

"Would it be bad if I said that I wanted something more than friendship from Will?" he asked, barely daring to breathe because of how nervous he felt and how afraid he was of getting a bad answer.

Chris kept a blank expression on his face. If anything, he didn't look surprised by Mike's question.

"I think that's a good thing, Mike," Chris said after a beat. "You developing feelings for Will isn't the most surprising thing in the world."

Mike's head lurched up to look Chris in the eyes.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Come on, Mike. Don't be oblivious. It's so obvious that both of you have feelings for each other. I've seen the way both of you look at each other, and you've both got the heart eyes going when you're looking at one another."

Mike was taken aback for a moment.

"I do? I mean, we do?" he asked, looking sheepish.

Chris grinned at him.

"Yes, you do. It's kind of sickening really. I'm kidding! It's actually pretty endearing. I know how much you both care about each other. And to be honest, I'm surprised you guys aren't already dating."

"Chris!" Mike exclaimed, feeling flustered all of a sudden. Chris just laughed at him. "I confess my heart to you and you joke around! Geez!"

"Oh relax, Mike. Seriously, I think you should make a move with Will. It would be the best for both of you."

"What if Will doesn't like me back?"

Chris scoffed.

"Trust me, Mike, you don't have to worry about that."

"Wait, why?" Mike asked, suddenly feeling much more interested in what Chris had to say.

"Sorry, buddy, but that's a state secret. I can't say anymore."

"Chris!" Mike pouted, putting on his best puppy dog face.

Chris shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm not gonna say anything else. But I will say you should definitely make a move. I don't think you'll be disappointed."

"I hate you right now, you know that?" Mike said with no hint of malice in his voice. In fact, he was smiling at Chris as he said it.

"Love you too, Mike," Chris said in a mocking tone. "Seriously, you and Will are like my brothers. I can read you guys like books. Now do me a favor: make a move and tell Will how you feel. Be vulnerable! Take a chance, Mike! You can't spend your life waiting and wondering what might happen."

"All right, all right, you've made your point!" Mike said. "I'll do something, I just have to figure it out."

"That's a good lad," Chris said, winking at Mike. "Oh, and one other thing, Mikey?"

Chris was the only person besides Will who ever called Mike "Mikey." It was something that was shared between the three of them and Mike always secretly enjoyed it.

"What's up, Chris?"

"Take some pictures of the cruise and text them to me! This way I can convince Mom and Dad we need to go on a Disney Cruise!"

Mike laughed heartily, feeling light as a feather. Chris was laughing too. 

"Yeah, sure, Chris. I'll send you some pictures. Promise."

"Thanks, Mikey! Have a great time! And let me know how it goes. Goodnight, buddy."

"Goodnight, my friend. And thank you."

* * *

Mike brushed some of Will's hair out of his face. Will had fallen asleep mid-flight and was resting his head on Mike's shoulder. Mike had enjoyed the close contact with Will and it helped assure him that maybe Chris had a point: maybe Will did share some of Mike's feelings. How much he shared, Mike was going to have to find out during the cruise, but after he and El had the talk he knew they needed to have. 

"Hey, Willie," Mike said in a gentle voice, just loud enough for Will to hear him. 

Will groaned slightly and kept his eyes shut. Mike smiled.

"Will, the plane is about to land in Galveston, you have to get up."

"Ugh, five more minutes, Mikey, please?" Will begged, still keeping his eyes closed. 

Mike giggled lightly.

"Come on, Will, you gotta get up so we can get off this plane. There will be plenty of time to sleep tonight after we check out all there is to do on the ship."

Will sighed as he sat up, finally opening his eyes. He rubbed them and yawned before he looked at Mike. Mike felt his heart race as he saw Will's face. He thought Will looked absolutely cute, even though Will looked exhausted from having been woken up. Will noticed Mike staring at him and frowned.

"What?" Will said.

Mike snapped out of his thoughts.

"Nothing, I just...sorry."

"It's okay, Mike," Will said, grinning. "I'm really excited for this cruise!"

"Me too. It's gonna be a lot of fun."

"Have you talked to El yet?"

Mike shook his head.

"I was kinda waiting until we got on the ship and then I was gonna ask her if we could talk alone. I don't want the guys overhearing, you know?"

Will nodded.

"I'll make sure to keep them occupied while you guys talk. I agree with you: it should just be between you too."

"I just hope that everything can go back to normal between us."

"They will, Mike, they will."

* * *

The cab driver opened the passenger door to let Jim, Joyce, Mike and Will out of the taxi cab they had taken from the airport to the dock. Jim got out first, stretching his legs for a moment before he offered his hand to Joyce, who took it and pulled herself out of the cab with Jim's help. Joyce turned and got her first look at the ship. Her immediate impression of the cruise ship was that it was one side of the Titanic with Mickey Mouse ears painted onto the funnels. She grinned to herself as she made the comparison, and thought she was feeling just like Rose DeWitt Bukater did when she first sees the Titanic in the romantic drama film.

"Wow, that's a really big ship," Joyce said, turning to Jim and smiling at him. Mike and Will had just exited the taxi and were both staring at the cruise ship with awed expressions.

"I've seen bigger," said Jim with an air of superiority.

"Where?" Joyce challenged.

"That's need to know."

"In other words, you haven’t seen bigger," El said as she, Max and Nancy joined the group from their taxi cab. "You're right, though, Joyce, this is a huge ship!"

"No kidding!" said Dustin, as he, Lucas and Jonathan approached the group. "I don't think we're gonna have enough time to explore all of it!"

"Well, you never know, Dustin," Joyce said wisely. "You may find that you have all the time in the world to explore the ship." 

"Yeah, you've got a point," Dustin said with a grin. "I can't wait to see it on the inside!"

"Didn't you spend the last week staring at pictures online?" Lucas asked, exasperated. 

"Pictures online are different than actually seeing it in person!" Dustin insisted.

"You know, he's right," Max said, nodding. "It's something else to actually see the ship inside of it and not just on your phone."

"Thank you, Max!" Dustin said, beaming.

"All right, all right, we'd better cut the chatter and get on board," Jim said with an air of annoyance. "Does everyone have your boarding passes?"

The kids all nodded at him while murmuring general messages of assent.

"Okay, good. I've told the drivers of our taxis to handle our baggage, so you don't have to grab them. It'll get loaded onto the ship and taken to each of our staterooms. Now, let's get going!"

Jim turned to lead the group toward the line for boarding the ship. The rest of the group followed him, chatting animatedly with one another. When they were nearly to the line, Mike caught eyes with El and walked over to her.

"Hey, can we talk privately when we get on the ship?" Mike whispered so that nobody else could hear him. 

"Of course," El replied, nodding. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just need to talk to you about some...stuff. About....you know."

El nodded with a knowing look on her face. 

* * *

Mike put the key card onto the sensor, successfully opening the door to his and Will's stateroom on board the Disney Cruise Ship. The boys were almost taken aback by the luxury of the room. The first thing they noticed was that they were in a room with a verandah. They would be able to sit on the verandah as take in the air and the ocean as the ship sailed through the waters. There were a couple of chairs and a small table for them to use on the verandah, meaning they could be as relaxed as they pleased.

The stateroom had only one bed, which was king sized. The boys had had a somewhat awkward conversation about sharing a bed before boarding, but they both felt better after realizing a king bed was so large they could easily fit onto each side of the bed without getting in each other's way. 

There was also a large sofa for them to sit on and watch TV and movies when they had downtime in their stateroom. The room came with a flatscreen TV that had a Disney logo on its screen when it was left alone for a time. 

Both boys set down the suitcases as they took in the room. Their eyes were filled with wonder as they looked around. Finally, it was Will who broke the silence.

"Wow, that view is going to be incredible," he said, walking toward the verandah and peering outside. "We're going to get a tan just sitting out there!"

Mike giggled.

"You might get a tan, but I will burn. It's rare that I ever actually tan. I think the sun and I are enemies."

Will burst out laughing.

"How did I never know that?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why I never agree to go swimming with you? It's partly because of that."

"What's the other reason?" Will asked, frowning slightly. 

"Oh, nothing, I just don't really like swimming. Never been a big fan of it. I don't mind getting my feet wet or just relaxing in the water, but nothing too crazy."

"Well, I hope you'll relax with me in the indoor pool," Will said with a smile. "I'm actually not a big fan of horseplay in the pool either, if I'm being honest. I think there's too much room to get hurt."

"Yeah," Mike said absently as a thought occurred to him. 

"What's up?" Will asked.

"Um, can you give me a minute to go talk to El?" Mike asked hesitantly. "I just need to say some things to her and I know she has some things to tell me. And I'd rather get it out of the way now so we're both not thinking about it while we're on this vacation."

"Yeah, of course," Will said, nodding. "Just text her and I'll wait here for you."

"Thanks, Will," Mike said, hesitating again before he walked over to Will and pulled him into a hug. Will was taken aback by his gesture for a moment but soon melted into Mike's embrace.

"What was that for?" Will asked when they broke the hug.

"Just for being there for me through all of this. I know you said it's because you're my best friend, but I really don't know how I would've handled this without you, Will. So, thank you, for being there for me."

"Of course, Mikey. I'm always here for you. Now, text El so you can go and meet her!"

Mike nodded, pulling out his phone and quickly typing out a message and sent it to her. He only had to wait about thirty seconds before he got a response.

_El:_ _Meet me in my stateroom. It's 2 doors down from yours. Max is coming to your room to hang out with Will, and Nancy is hanging out with Jonathan, so we can talk._

Mike typed out his reply.

_ Mike: Sounds good. See you in a minute. _

Mike put his phone back in his pocket. Just as he did, there was a knock at the door. Will stood up and walked over to answer it. Max appeared in the doorway.

"Hey!" Will exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Giving the former lovebirds some space to talk," Max said irritably as she walked into the room. She glared at Mike as she passed him. "Be nice to her, or I'm gonna hear about it."

"I'm always nice to her," Mike said with a grin, trying to get the malicious expression off of Max's face. He wasn't successful. Mike looked at Will, who shrugged, so Mike turned and walked out of the stateroom. He took the short walk to El, Max and Nancy's room and knocked on it, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. He didn't have enough time to dwell on his thoughts as El quickly opened the door.

"Hey Mike," El said in a rather flat voice that Mike was so not used to hearing.

"Hi, El, can I come in?" Mike asked, doing his best to keep his tone gentle.

"Yeah, we need to get this over with," El said, stepping back and letting Mike into the room. She closed the door behind her and gestured to the bed, where the both of them sat down.

There was an awkward pause where both of them simply stared anywhere but at each other. Mike couldn't take the tension any more.

"Should I go first, or..." he said, not knowing how to begin.

"I guess, yeah, you can go first," El said in the same blank tone. 

Mike nodded.

"Okay, then," he said before he sighed deeply. "First, I just want to say how sorry I am about all of this. I feel like I pressured you into a relationship and if I did that, then I’m sorry.”

“You weren’t the only one,” El replied, cutting Mike off. “We both rushed into it, Mike. And I’m sorry, too.”

“I want you to know, El, that I'm not mad at you for breaking up with me,” Mike said. Yeah, I was upset at first and I won't lie to you, I still kinda am, but I'm going to be okay. I know that. And I want to thank you for being so concerned about me. Will told me. So thank you for that. And I just want you to know I don't hold any hard feelings toward you at all. I just want us to be friends like we were before, if that's all right with you."

There was another pause here. Mike rubbed away the tears that had fallen down his face as he spoke to El. El had also begun crying, but she ignored the tears. Finally, she spoke and it was in a shaky voice; the flat voice was gone.

"Thank you, Mike, for being honest with me. I know I hurt you, so I'm sorry for that. I've been hurting ever since we broke up, but I know that I'll be okay, too. And thank you for having Will check up on me, too. I know that wasn't that easy for you to do because you were hurting, too, so thank you. And yes, Mike, I do want us to be friends again."

El then reached across the bed and grabbed onto one of Mike's hands. She laced their fingers together and held Mike's hand gently.

"Friends?" she asked as a tear fell down her face.

Mike nodded.

"Friends," he said.

El then leaned forward and pulled Mike into a hug. He held on to her tightly, trying his best to convey all of his feelings about the girl he had known for most of his life. Both of them were crying lightly as they held onto each other, but they weren't feeling sad. They were both relieved that their friendship could still work and that there were no hard feelings toward one another.

* * *

Nancy knocked on the door to the stateroom that Jonathan was sharing with Dustin and Lucas. It was next door to the one she was sharing with El and Max, and she was grateful for the short walk to go and see her boyfriend and make sure the boys hadn't tied him up and disappeared onto the ship somewhere.

"It's open," Jonathan called from inside the room.

"What a charmer," Nancy said, smirking to herself as she opened the door and walked into the stateroom.

Like herself, Jonathan seemed to be camped out on the large sofa in the room. He was sitting on it with his laptop open on his lap. His suitcase was right next to the couch, while Dustin and Lucas' things were over by the bed.

"I see you've been told you're gonna sleep on the couch," Nancy observed as she sat down next to Jonathan.

"Yeah, I didn't really think I was gonna have a choice," Jonathan said, looking up from his laptop and smiling at Nancy. "Although, Dustin did offer to take the couch, I figured I'd spare Lucas the embarrassment of sharing a bed with his best friend’s older brother."

They both chuckled.

"Yeah, I bet that would be pretty awkward for you too," Nancy said as she leaned toward Jonathan, wrapping her arms around him as he did the same. Jonathan gave her a kiss on the forehead before he leaned back on the sofa. "I'm so glad your Mom invited me on this trip. Remind me that I owe her a couple of dinners when we get back home."

"Okay," Jonathan said with a laugh. "I'll make sure you don't forget."

"This trip is going to be wonderful. We'll get to spend time together, alone, when we're not watching the kids. We're gonna get to go to all these shows and see our favorite characters. We can just relax and sunbathe for hours."

As Nancy finished talking, an email alert played on Jonathan's laptop. Jonathan made to stand up before remembering that Nancy was practically lying on top of him.

"Hey, Nance, do you think...?" Jonathan asked, gesturing toward his laptop.

Nancy sighed.

"Or you can check your emails," she said in an exasperated tone as she sat up to let Jonathan reach for his laptop.

"I'm sorry," Jonathan said hurriedly as he clicked around to open his email. "I was expecting something from Steve."

"Like what?"

“That's need to know only," Jonathan said with a smirk before he frowned as he read the email that he had received. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

"What? What is it?" Nancy asked, sitting up and scooting next to Jonathan so she could read the email, too.

"Well, it looks we're gonna be working for part of this trip," Jonathan said as Nancy read the email.

"You're shitting me!" Nancy exclaimed. "What the hell is the mayor doing on a Disney Cruise ship? And how is it the same one that we happen to be on when we're supposed to be enjoying a vacation?"

"I don't know," Jonathan said, sighing. "This really blows. Why couldn't they just send somebody to interview the mayor afterward? Why'd they have to tell us to work while we're on vacation?"

"No rest for the weary," Nancy said.

"Yeah, I guess. So, what should I do?"

"Well," Nancy said thoughtfully. "I know we're only interns at the paper, but this could turn into a really big story and maybe even land us jobs there. I think we should go for it."

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Jonathan nodded and leaned forward to start typing a reply email.

"All right," he said. "If you say so."

* * *

Jim opened the bathroom door to enter the main room of his and Joyce's stateroom. He had a bathrobe on and a towel wrapped around the top of his head to let what was left of his hair to dry from the shower he had taken. It was late afternoon and the sun was due to set soon. Joyce was resting on their bed, flipping through the TV channels, searching for something to watch, until she noticed Jim walk into the room.

"Hubba hubba," Joyce said in a seductive voice as Jim sat down on the bed with her. "I've forgotten how good you look in a robe."

Jim chuckled lightly as he leaned forward and kissed Joyce briefly. Joyce then laid down next to him while Jim adjusted himself so he was sitting up in bed, using the pillows and the headboard as leverage to hold himself up. Jim wrapped his arm around Joyce and she leaned into his embrace.

"Uh oh," Joyce said once she was comfortable. "I see you have your thinking face on. What is it?"

"You can read me like a book, can't you?" Jim said. Joyce nodded and grinned at him. Jim sighed. "I just can't help but worry about all of the kids."

Joyce groaned.

"Oh, honey, we've been over this. We know that the girls are gonna be fine, even if they didn't have Nancy staying with them. El and Max aren't known for getting into trouble. And with Jonathan watching Dustin and Lucas, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, but what about Will and Mike?"

"Have you met my son, Jim?" Joyce asked in a playful tone. "He never gets into trouble. And even if Mike tried to convince him to get into mischief, Will would be able to persuade Mike out of it." Joyce paused for a moment as a thought occurred to her. "You know, Will could ask Mike to kill someone for him, and all Mike would do is ask how Will wanted them killed."

Joyce chuckled at the thought while Jim frowned slightly. 

"Are you sure about that?"

"Jim, have you seen the way Mike acts around Will?"

Jim thought about it for a moment before he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you do have a good point," he said with a grin as he looked down at Joyce. "You know, to be honest, I've always kinda wondered about their relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I guess just seeing the way Will looks at Mike. It's like he thinks the world of Mike and would do anything to make sure he's happy."

Joyce laughed lightly to herself. She seemed unable to stop and her laughing grew, even as Jim groaned.

" _ What _ is so funny?" Jim asked.

Joyce took a moment to compose herself and get rid of the giggles. She took a deep breath to make sure she was fully calm before she spoke.

"Well, it's nice to know you're observant, Jim."

"And what does that mean?" Jim asked impatiently.

"Come on, Jim, anyone with eyes can see the Will has a crush on Mike and that Mike feels the same way."

"Wheeler? No!" Jim scoffed. "He just got out of a relationship with El!"

"Yeah, probably because of the way he feels for Will, among other reasons. El told me herself that she didn't feel needed in their relationship; it only makes sense that that would be why, Jim."

Jim considered this for a moment.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he said. "But how do we know for sure?"

"Well, maybe we won't know until they're both ready. Will might know about his feelings for Mike, but maybe Mike doesn't. Or he does and he's just scared that he will lose Will if he says anything."

Jim frowned again.

"So what can we do?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do, honey," Joyce said as she leaned into Jim's embrace again. "This is just something that both of them will have to figure out on their own. That's not to say we can't try pushing them in that direction a bit, but we really should let them discover their feelings on their own. And I think this trip is the best way to do that."

"Wait," Jim said as a thought occurred to him. "Is that why you suggested they should room alone together, so they would find out their feelings for each other?"

Jim sounded angry, but his facial expression looked more confused than anything. Joyce simply smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Nice of you to catch up, dear," she said before she stood up. "Now, I gotta freshen up before we go out for dinner with the kids. Why don't you get dressed while I shower and then we'll rally the troops?"

"All right," Jim said. Joyce smiled at him and disappeared into the bathroom, carrying her own robe in with her. Jim sighed quietly in relief and crawled over to his suitcase. He reached inside and dug around, hoping that what he was seeking was still well hidden. He was relieved when he felt the pair of rolled-up socks at the bottom of his suitcase. Jim pulled a small ring box out of it and opened it to look at the diamond ring just for a moment before he hurriedly put it away when he heard the shower running in the bathroom.

* * *

Max looked up when the door opened and El walked into the room with a thoughtful expression on her face. El shut the door behind her and strode over to the bed, where Max was flipping through a brochure of things to do while they were on the cruise ship. 

"Hey!" Max said. "I was wondering where you were. How did it go?"

"Yeah, I went work a walk, and it went better than I thought it would," El replied, giving Max a smile. "He was super nice about everything and we forgave each other for both of us hurting. And we even hugged it out for a little while."

Max grinned at her.

"Well, I'm glad it all worked out between you guys. Although I admit I'm a little disappointed I don't have to go kick Mike's ass. To be fair, though, I'll probably go do it anyway, you know for good measure."

Both of the girls laughed heartily at this. Once they started, they both found it difficult to quit laughing. They would stop for a moment, look at each other and then keep laughing. This went on for nearly five minutes before El was red in the face from laughing so hard.

"Okay, okay, I need to breathe," she said, getting one last chuckle out of her system.

El paused for a moment, sitting up straight on the bed. She exhaled all of the excess air before she inhaled slowly. She held the air in for a moment before she exhaled just as slowly. Once she was finished, she took a quick breath of air to steady herself.

"There we go," El said. "All back to normal now."

"I didn't realize you would laugh that much," Max said. "I'm glad you agree that I'm funny."

"I've always thought you were funny, Max," El said, smiling warmly at Max and feeling her face heat up slightly. She wasn't sure what was causing it, but she thought it had to do with her laughing fit, so she just ignored it. "It's just one of the many things I enjoy about you."

"Thanks, El."

"No, thank you for being so supportive through all of this. I mean, I know we're best friends and all, but it must've gotten pretty old with me talking about Mike all of the time."

"Yeah, it did," Max said, looking away now as she started to blush. "I mean, I understood why you needed to vent about him and about your relationship, but I'm pretty relieved to not have to hear about it anymore."

There was a brief pause in the conversation. Tension filled the air.

"Sorry," Max said quickly as she turned around. "It's just that...when you were talking about him, it made me keep my mouth shut about this."

"About what?" El asked, frowning.

Max just stared back at El. It seemed like she was wrestling with a private thought and she wasn't sure if she was ready to speak her mind. El looked deeply into Max's eyes and fully appreciated their color, having never noticed it before.

"Max?" El prompted. "What did you have to keep quiet about? It's okay; you can tell me anything."

Max sighed before she reached across the bed and put her hand on top of El's. El looked up at Max in confusion and she could see fear in Max's expression. She gulped before Max spoke.

"I know this is going to sound super crazy, El, but I just have to say it. And it's okay if you think it's weird, or whatever, but I just really need to say this to you. Can I trust you not to tell anyone?"

"Of course," El said, placing her other hand on top of Max's and squeezing it gently. "You can tell me anything, Max, you know that."

Max nodded and shut her eyes for a second. She took a deep breath, which seemed to calm her down before she opened her eyes again and stared directly into El's. 

"There's a reason that Lucas and I split up when we did, and I've never told anybody about it, not even him," Max said in a heavy voice. She paused, taking another breath before she went on. "There was somebody else I had a crush on. At first, I didn't think much of it. I thought it was just something that would go away on its own. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't love Lucas the way he loved me."

El frowned.

"What do you mean? Why not?"

Max hesitated.

"Because I'm gay," Max said. "I am a lesbian."

El tightened her grip on Max's hand but didn't say anything. She just stared at Max with what she hoped was a soft expression.

"God, I never thought I'd actually say those words out loud," Max said. "I can't believe I just told you. And people say it's supposed to make you feel better."

"Well, were they right?" El asked in a gentle tone.

Max nodded.

"Yeah, I think they were," she said, looking and sounding relieved to have gotten her secret out. But her expression still seemed strained to El.

"Is there something else?" El asked.

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"Max, you're already pouring your heart out to me. What's a little more?"

Max chuckled lightly and wiped away a tear. 

"Um, would you be weirded out if I told you about the person that I had a crush on, that I still have a crush on them?"

El shook her head.

"No, that doesn't weird me out at all."

"What if that person was you?" Max asked bluntly. 

El blinked. She was taken aback by that question. Strangely, though, she didn't feel awkward at all. Instead, she felt a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach, something that she felt when Mike had first asked her out. 

"Me?" El asked, unsure how to continue the conversation.

"Yeah," Max replied with a nod and blushing profusely. "You."

"Why me?"

"Oh come on, El, what's not to love about you? You're smart, funny, beautiful, kind. You're everything a woman should be. I've always admired you, El, ever since we became friends in kindergarten. And I guess I just grew to love everything about you, to the point that I started to develop feelings for you."

El was shocked by this revelation. Max had never dropped any clues or hints about her feelings, and El never caught Max staring at her or saw any other sign of attraction. Yet, when Max was saying all of those things about her, El felt the warm feeling spreading through her whole body. It even made its way to her heart and she could feel it pounding hard as the feelings filled her up. Suddenly, she realized that maybe this was love, true love.

Max was looking at El with an expectant expression on her face, as if waiting for El to respond to what she had just confessed. El blinked before she spoke again.

"Wow, I can't believe I didn't know you felt that way about me, Max," she said. "Thank you for trusting me enough to be honest with me. I'm glad you told me."

Max grinned.

"I'm glad I did, too. I mean, even if you don't feel the same way, it feels nice not to have to carry all of that around inside of me by myself anymore."

El's eyes widened when she heard Max say "don't feel the same way" and it was like she blocked out the rest of what Max had said. 

"I think I do," El said hurriedly.

"You think you do what?" Max asked, frowning at her.

"I think I do feel the same way about you," El replied, smiling at Max. 

Max's eyes widened in shock.

"You do?"

El nodded.

"I think so," she said. "When you were saying all of that about me, I had this really good feeling inside of me that I've never felt before. And I felt like I wanted to hold you and protect you for the rest of my life. Max, I think I have a crush on you, too. I think you were my gay awakening."

Max burst into hysterical laughter. She was laughing almost as hard as El had been earlier during their talk. Max laughed for a good twenty seconds before she calmed down, wiping away some tears that had developed during her laughing fit.

"Oh my god, I can't believe we were each other's gay awakening," Max said. "Are you sure?"

El nodded again.

"I've never felt this way before about anyone. It feels good and it feels right.

Max sighed happily.

"Can I....can I kiss you?" Max asked.

"Mm-hmm," El replied, nodding.

Max smiled and lifted her hand off of El's and used it to cup El's cheek. She leaned forward, shutting her eyes, before she pressed their lips together. The kiss was unlike any El had shared with Mike. El and Max's lips seemed to fit perfectly together. And El could swear she could sense fireworks shooting off in the distance. If this wasn't love, El wasn't sure what could be called love. Max broke the kiss when the two of them needed air. They looked at each other with adoration.

"That was..." Max said.

"Yeah," El finished for her. "It was perfect." 

* * *

"Hey, check that out," Dustin said, pointing toward what looked like a themed restaurant. 

He and Lucas were exploring the cruise ship, looking for fun things to do while they were on board. So far, they had learned that some members of the Star Wars cast would be hosting a panel later in the week, and they heard about some cosplaying contests that were supposed to take place on board. But, they couldn't find anything that was supposed to happen right away, much to their disappointment.

"That place looks cool," said Lucas, following Dustin over to the restaurant. The sign outside of it described the restaurant as The Cadillac Lounge. It appeared to be themed toward the 1950s. There were several displays of cars from that time throughout the restaurant, and it appeared styled like a diner, with several booths that all had their own JukeBox. 

"Holy shit, this place is great!" Dustin exclaimed. "I think we found our hangout spot for lunch while we're here!"

"Yeah," Lucas said as he scanned around the restaurant. Suddenly, he spotted a sign near the front of it and groaned loudly.

"What?" Dustin demanded.

"It's only for those 18 and older," Lucas said, pointing to the sign. 

Dustin followed Lucas' gaze and saw the sign. 

_ For guests 18 and over only. _

Dustin scoffed.

"Oh please, we're only a few months away from being 18. Hell, you're gonna be 18 before the rest of us and your birthday is right before school starts! We should be able to get in; we look enough like 18 year olds."

"Are you insane?" Lucas demanded. "They're probably gonna want us to show ID before we'd be allowed in and unless you have a fake ID, there's no way we're getting in."

"Maybe we can sneak in," Dustin said thoughtfully. "It doesn't look like there's anyone there to check IDs. We can just show up and get a table and then everything will be fine."

Dustin looked proud of his plan. Lucas tried to come up with an argument against it and groaned to himself when he couldn't. Dustin grinned at him.

"See? We can do it, Lucas. We'll just have to play it cool."

Lucas had an internal argument with himself. Although he knew they would get into trouble if they were caught, the restaurant also looked super cool to him and he would love to have at least one meal in there just to say he did. The latter argument won.

"All right," Lucas said, nodding. "We'll do it, but we can't tell the others. You know one of them is gonna blab to Hopper."

"Deal," Dustin said, holding out his hand. Lucas took it and they shook for a moment before letting go.

"Now let's get out of here before someone sees us," Lucas said, turning to leave. 

Dustin started to follow Lucas. They had only gotten a few steps away from The Cadillac Lounge when a voice called out to them.

"Dustin?" said the voice. "Is that you?"

Dustin and Lucas froze in their footsteps. Both of them recognized that voice instantly. They glanced at each other before they turned around, both of them grimacing. They came face-to-face with their science teacher all through middle school, Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke was joined by a woman who looked to be the same age as him and who the boys thought was his girlfriend. 

"What are you doing here, Dustin? Lucas?" Mr. Clarke asked, sounding surprised and somewhat amused at seeing his former students somewhere at school.

"Chief Hopper got us all tickets to this cruise during a police auction last week," Lucas explained. "Didn't you hear about it?"

"No, I've been out of town preparing for this trip," Mr. Clarke said. "But that's awesome that you guys get to take a cruise. Who's all with you?"

"Mike, Will, El, Max, Nancy, Jonathan, Mrs. Byers and Hopper," Dustin rattled off.

"Wow, a full house," Mr. Clark said, grinning at them. Suddenly, he seemed to remember his girlfriend was standing with him. "Sorry, boys, this is my girlfriend, Jen. Jen, this is Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair, two of my former students. They're about to be seniors."

"It's nice to meet you both," Jen said as she shook hands with Dustin and Lucas. 

"Yeah, you too," said Dustin, giving Jen his trademark grin. 

"So, what brings you guys over here?" Mr. Clarke asked.

"Just looking for things to do while we're on board," Lucas said quickly before Dustin could respond.

"Well, it's too bad you boys aren't 18 yet. This restaurant is super cool and I think you guys would enjoy it."

"Yeah, that really sucks," Dustin said with a grin. "It's really too bad we can't go in. I'd really like to see it."

"Now don't you go sneaking in there, Dustin," Mr. Clark chided. "I know you like to get mischievous ideas like that, but you really shouldn't try something like that when you're on a cruise ship.

"Mr. Clarke, I would never!" Dustin said in a not-at-all convincing voice. 

"Well, just make sure you stay out of trouble," Mr. Clarke said. "I know Chief Hopper wouldn't take it well if you two got into trouble when you're supposed to be on vacation."

"We'll behave ourselves, Mr. Clarke," Lucas said. "Promise."

Mr. Clarke grinned.

"That's what I like to hear," he said. "Well anyway, boys, we'd better get going. Dinner was super filling and I gotta go lie down."

"Yeah, we'll see you around later, maybe," Lucas said.

"It was nice meeting you," Dustin added, grinning at Jen again.

"Likewise," Jen said, returning the smile.

"See you, boys," Mr. Clarke said as he wrapped his arm around Jen and the two of them walked away.

Once Mr. Clarke and Jen were out of earshot, Dustin turned to Lucas with a grin.

"No," Lucas said before Dustin could open his mouth. "We're not gonna risk that shit with Mr. Clarke on board."

"Oh come on, Lucas, where's your sense of adventure?" Dustin asked, shaking his head slightly. "It's not like Mr. Clarke is gonna be following us or anything."

"Yeah, and what happens when he sees us in the restaurant he just saw us staring at? You know he's gonna tell Hopper and then we are dead, dude. We are completely dead."

"Relax, Lucas," Dustin said, patting Lucas on the shoulder. "Sometimes you just gotta go for it. Besides, what's life without a little risk?"

Lucas simply stared at Dustin for a moment, once again having an internal argument with himself. And again, his curiosity about the restaurant won out.

"Okay, fine," Lucas said. "But let's give it a day or two so this way Mr. Clarke sees that we don't try to get in."

"Works for me," Dustin replied with a smirk. "Just wait: it'll totally be worth it."

"Well, if we get caught, it'll be your head on a silver platter," Lucas said irritably. 

* * *

"Well, isn't this nice?" Joyce asked once everyone had ordered their food for the first dinner of the cruise. "We're all on board a Disney cruise together, everyone looks relaxed and ready to have a good time for the next couple of days."

"Speak for yourself, Mom," Jonathan said somewhat irritably.

"Why, honey? What's going on?" Joyce asked, frowning.

"Well, it's just our luck that the mayor is on board this ship," Jonathan answered. "And of course the papers' editors found out about it and they know that Nancy and I are on board the ship and..."

"They're making you work?" Will asked. "What the heck, can they do that?"

Jonathan nodded.

"But you guys are just interns!" Mike burst out. Nancy glared daggers at him. "Sorry, but you know what I mean. It's not like you guys are getting paid to do this or anything."

"Yeah, but it's a huge story, Mike," Nancy explained, trying to keep her tone neutral and not annoyed. "And if we are able to get the scoop on the mayor, then maybe we'll get full-time jobs working for the paper. We have to try."

"What's going on with the mayor anyway?" Joyce asked as she took a swig of her red wine. "Jim's been reluctant to tell me anything and Jonathan hasn't said much either?"

Jonathan shrugged sheepishly at his mother and looked at Nancy, who decided to answer.

"Well, word on the rumor mill is he's having an affair with a woman who's 10 years younger than him," Nancy said. 

"Really?" Joyce asked, looking surprised. "Larry Kline is having an affair?"

"Tell them who it is," Jim said in a bored voice. 

"Wait, you know who it is?" Nancy asked, looking at Jim in disbelief. 

"Of course I know. I caught them together in Larry's car. I leaked the story to the press, but they don't know it was me."

Nancy made to reach for her purse and pull out her notebook to start writing things down. She stopped when Jonathan grabbed her arm and shook his head.

"I've gotta get this down!" Nancy said.

"You can't," Jim said in the same bored tone. "If word gets out that I'm the source, I could lose my job."

Nancy looked stunned for a moment before she nodded and put her purse back under the table next to her legs.

"Well, anyway, they say it's his secretary, Candice," Nancy answered. 

"Shut up!" Max exclaimed, taking her hand off of El's. Everyone had noticed them holding hands, but nobody said anything about it. It was as if they had all been expecting it. 

"Yep, that's who it is," Jim said, rolling his eyes slightly. "Can't say I was too surprised when I saw them together in his car. Larry was always a sleazebag in high school."

"He wasn't that bad," Joyce said in a soft tone.

"Oh, come on, Joyce! He dumped you on Prom Night, for god's sake!"

"He did what?" El asked, suddenly looking angry. The boys of The Party chuckled at her expression.

Joyce shrugged.

"It wasn't gonna work out anyway," she said in a bored voice. "He wasn't the nicest boy around. Still, I can't imagine him cheating on his wife."

"Well, he definitely is," Nancy said. "We have them meeting together at restaurants and bars. Everything is paid for by him. And the editors looked into it and he booked two tickets for this trip. Although there aren't any names available, the editors confirmed his wife is still at home. I guess she thinks he's out on a business trip.

Jim snorted.

"Yeah. Business trip," he said with a grimace. "He's doing some private business on this ship."

"The thing is, we have to prove it," Nancy said. "Otherwise the story dies and we'll probably lose our internship. But, all we have to do is follow him discreetly and see if he's here with his mistress. He probably thinks nobody from Hawkins is on board; that's why he thinks he'll be able to get away with it."

"Well there is someone here from Hawkins. I mean, apart from us," Dustin perked up.

Everyone turned to look at him except for Lucas. They all looked surprised.

"Who else from Hawkins is here?" Joyce asked. 

"Mr. Clarke," Dustin said, shrugging. "We ran into him when we were exploring the ship."

Lucas stared at Dustin incredulously. Dustin was perilously close to revealing their plans to sneak into The Cadillac Lounge. But, Dustin didn't say anything else as everyone digested this new information.

"Wow, talk about a small world," Joyce said. "Guess it was meant to be for all of us to come on this trip. It's like a little vacation from Hawkins for a bunch of residents."

Everyone chuckled at her joke. Joyce looked proud of herself. She took another swig of wine before she turned to the girls.

"What about you two?" she asked. "You guys do anything fun today?"

Max and El glanced at each other. They silently had a conversation about revealing what had happened earlier in their stateroom. They both smiled at each other and blinked, coming to a silent agreement.

"Well..." El said, blushing slightly.

"We, uh..." Max said as she started blushing too.

"You what?" Dustin asked, sitting up straighter and looking highly interested in what El and Max were about to say.

"Yeah, come on, spill it out!" Lucas added, sounding just as excited. 

Max and El blushed profusely before El spoke.

"We're going out!" she said quickly.

The reactions were predictable: Mike nearly spat out the swig of water he had drank at the exact moment El confessed and Will slapped his arm. Dustin and Lucas both high-fived each other, looking triumphant for some reason. The adults all looked pleasantly surprised, but thrilled for the girls. 

"When did this happen?" Joyce asked as she gave the girls a smile. 

"This afternoon," Max replied, still blushing. "We both just kinda confessed that we had a crush on each other and then we were kissing!"

"You're kissing already?" Jim asked, trying to look incredulous as well as sound it, but failing miserably. The smile gave him away.

"Yeah we're already kissing, Dad, is that a problem?" El asked, glaring daggers at Jim.

"Well, I guess since there's no risk of pregnancy, at least not without help, there's no problem."

Jim's comment earned him a slap on the arm from Joyce. El picked up her spoon and mimed throwing it at Jim before setting it back down on the table. The boys were all laughing, while Jonathan and Nancy were smiling silently, both of them looking rather amused by the conversation.

"Well, I for one am super happy for the both of you," Joyce said. "You girls deserve to be happy and if this is what makes you happy, then you have our support."

"Yeah, mine too," Mike said, grinning at them. He and El locked eyes and El could see nothing but understanding in Mike's expression. She smiled back at him gratefully.

"Me too," said Will, smiling at the girls too.

"Ditto!" Dustin and Lucas exclaimed.

"Were you guys expecting us to ask each other out?" Max asked. "Cause you two don't sound surprised at all."

"We may or may not have had a bet going to see how long it would take you two to recognize you had a crush on each other," Dustin said with a grin. "And I'm happy to say I won, because I bet that you two would get together on this cruise ship. We have another bet going, but I won't say for who or what."

Mike felt his heart sink slightly and glanced at Will, who didn't seem to notice. Mike took a deep breath, relieved that Will hadn't thought what he had. 

"You had a bet going?" Max asked, exasperated but smiling. "I can't believe that!"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that you two had a thing for each other," Lucas said. "I've pretty much known ever since we broke up and you told me you didn't think you could love me the way I loved you."

Max's eyes widened in shock.

"I, uh..."

"You don't have to apologize," Lucas said, waving his hand dismissively. "I've had plenty of time to get over it. Besides, I actually like being single, believe it or not."

"Anyway," Joyce said in a loud voice, trying to draw attention away from the girls. El and Max looked at her with grateful expressions. "How about you two, Mike and Will? Do anything fun today?"

"Not really," Will said, shrugging. "We mostly just hung out and got used to seeing our stateroom."

"Yeah, but we looked around to see what there was to do on the ship. Apparently they're having a marathon of the Star Wars prequel trilogy tomorrow starting after breakfast, so we think we're gonna go do that. They're doing more movies throughout the week, so we're gonna go see all of them. I guess they have theatres on board where we'll be able to watch all movies on the big screen."

"Well, that sounds lovely," Joyce said, grinning at the boys. "It sounds like everyone is ready to have a good time, even if some of us will be working." 

At that, a team of servers appeared next to their table with trays of food. Everyone waited as the servers sorted out everyone's food and placed it onto the table. Once the servers were finished, they hurried away.

"Well, everyone, I think a toast is in order," Joyce said, picking up her glass of wine. Everyone mimicked her, picking up their own drinks and holding them up. "To a wonderful Disney Cruise Vacation. Let's all have a great time!"

"A great time!" everyone echoed, raising their drinks slightly higher before they brought them back down and drank.

* * *

Mike walked out of the bathroom dressed in his pajamas with his bathrobe on as well. He finished drying his hair with the towel before he tossed it into the dirty laundry hamper and walked over to the bed. Will was sitting on the bed, staring at his laptop and writing things down on a small notebook he had next to him. 

"Hey, how was your shower?" Will asked once Mike sat down on the bed.

"Definitely what I needed after such a big dinner," Mike replied, taking a deep breath as he felt himself relax. "Thank god, too. I didn't much fancy falling asleep with an upset stomach."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Will said with a smile before he returned his eyes to his laptop. He saw something that was obviously important to him, as Mike saw him jot something down in his notebook.

"What're you working on, Willie?"

"Oh, just making sure we have all the right locations for everything we wanna do tomorrow and later this week. I don't like the idea of us getting lost on this ship."

Mike chuckled.

"Good idea. Though I wouldn't mind getting lost with you."

"Yeah, cause you know I'd remain calm. Unlike Dustin and Lucas, who would both freak the hell out and cause a panic."

"Exactly," Mike said as both of the boys burst into laughter. 

Their laughter was interrupted when Will's phone beeped with a text message alert. Will leaned over and picked up his phone, unlocking it and reading the text. He groaned slightly when he saw the message.

"What is it?" Mike asked, frowning.

"It's Hopper," Will replied. "I guess Mom is out walking around the ship and he wants me, El and Jonathan to come to their room."

"Why?"

"Dunno, but he says he has something, quote, 'really important' to talk about with us. Damn, and just when I was getting comfortable."

Will stood up, putting on his robe and slippers to make sure he stayed warm as he walked over to his mom and Jim's room. Mike took off his own robe and set it down next to the bed.

"Have fun, Will," Mike said as he buried himself under the blankets.

"Thanks, Mikey," Will replied sarcastically before he softened his tone. "Don't wait up for me, okay? I don't know how long I'll be."

"I might stay up for a bit reading," Mike said. "I've got a good book I'm working on, so I might be up anyway when you get back."

Will chuckled before he waved at Mike and turned around to leave the room. He took a few steps and found himself outside of El and Max's room just as El was exiting the room, her hair still wet from showering. 

"Hey," Will said. "Nice look."

"Oh, shut up!" El replied irritably. "God, he couldn't wait like 10 minutes so I could at least try to dry my hair? No, he texts right when I get out of the shower."

Will giggled as they walked down the hallway toward Joyce and Jim's room. 

"What do you think is going on?" Will asked.

"Well he had better be planning on asking her to marry him, because that's the only good excuse for him calling us into the room like this," El replied as they reached the stateroom. She knocked on the door.

"That would be amazing if he is," Will said. "Maybe then Chris will win his bet."

"What bet?" El asked as the door opened and Jim beckoned them inside.

"I'll tell you later," Will muttered.

Jonathan was already in the room with Jim. He hadn't changed out of his clothes from during the day, which Will guessed meant that he and Nancy were scouting the ship searching for the Hawkins mayor.

"This had better be good, Dad," El said in a bossy voice. "I didn't have time to dry my hair before I came over here."

"Yeah, I can see that," Jim said with a laugh. El glared at him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, El. I just really needed to talk to you kids without Joyce in the room and I texted you guys as soon as she left and said she'd be back."

"So, what's up, Jim?" Jonathan asked, sounding impatient. "You said you had something important to talk to us about?"

Jim sighed and nodded. He leaned over to his suitcase and fumbled with it for a moment before he pulled a ring box out of it. He held it up for the kids to see. Both Will and Jonathan's eyes widened, while El didn't look too surprised.

"Is that...?" Will started to ask.

"Yes," Jim said, nodding. "It's an engagement ring for Joyce. I've had it for a couple of months now and I was just waiting for the right time to do it. And since we're all here together, I thought, why not ask her now?"

The kids all beamed at him.

"I think that's a great idea, Dad!" El exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, me too," added Will.

"You should definitely do it,” said Jonathan

Jim looked visibly relieved that the kids all approved of his plan. 

"So you guys are okay with it if I ask her to marry me?"

"Of course we are, Jim!" said Jonathan, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Yeah, you make Mom so happy, Hop. In fact, I've been kinda waiting on you to propose so I can tell Chris he's gonna win the bet he has against his parents on how soon you were gonna do it!"

The four of them all laughed heartily at this. They laughed for a good twenty seconds or so, all of them going red in the face and having a hard time breathing once they got going. Finally, the laughter subsided and became weak chuckles before it died out completely.

"So, when are you gonna do it, Dad?" El asked in an excited tone.

"I'm not sure yet. I was planning on doing it during one of our dinner dates we have planned together. I wanna do it when it's just the two of us by ourselves."

"I think that's a great idea," Will said with a smile.

"Me too," said Jonathan.

"You'd better have a proper proposal ready to go," El said with a serious expression on her face suddenly. "Joyce deserves an unforgettable proposal."

"You leave that to me," Jim said, smirking. "Your old Dad has something special in mind. And no, you can't hear what it is. I only wanna do it when I'm ready."

"All right, all right," El said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. 

"And there is something more I wanted to ask all of you your opinions on," Jim said, looking serious once again. 

"What is it?" Will asked, leaning forward slightly. 

Jim sighed.

"Well, since we're all here and you kids and everyone else with us are the most important people in her life and in mine, I had this crazy idea: what if we got married, here on the ship?" Jim said, looking at the kids with hopeful eyes. Will, El and Jonathan's eyes widened and they all looked mildly shocked at Jim's suggestion. 

"I know, it's crazy," Jim said hurriedly. "It was just an idea I had because we're all here. And then I thought, maybe we could have a proper ceremony sometime down the line with the rest of our families..."

"Dad, that's a freaking amazing idea," El said, reaching across and grabbing onto one of Jim's hands and squeezing it. "That would be a wedding never to forget."

Will nodded in agreement.

"It would be special for you guys," he added.

"And like El said, definitely unforgettable,” said Jonathan.

Jim beamed at the kids, who were all looking at him with encouraging expressions. 

"So, it's not a crazy idea? I should consider it?"

"Oh, it's definitely crazy," El said, nodding.

"But you should go for it," said Jonathan.

"Make it unforgettable for everyone," added Will.

Jim looked from kid to kid before he smiled at them.

"Okay. Then I'll ask her to marry me before we're off the ship. I read that they do have weddings performed on these ships all the time. It might be hard to do, but we'll make it work."

"I'm so happy for you, Dad!" El squealed as she leapt into Jim's embrace and hugged him tightly. Both of them started crying tears of joy as they held onto one another, while Will and Jonathan simply watched them while waiting in an awkward silence.

When Jim broke the hug with El, he turned to look at the boys.

"I want you boys to know that I have no intention of replacing your father, just like I told you when I first started dating your mother," Jim said. "And I know he wasn't the greatest father, but he was still your father. I just hope you guys are open to sharing your Mom with me for a little while longer. Say, forever."

Will and Jonathan shared a look before they smiled and turned to Jim. Will grabbed onto one of Jim's hands and grabbed El's with his other.

"You're a good man, Hop," Will said earnestly. "There's nobody else I would trust with our Mom."

"You have our blessing, Jim," Jonathan added, patting Jim on the back with a grin. 

"Thank you, boys," Jim said as tears welled in his eyes. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

The four of them then fell into a group hug. All four of them were crying lightly, overcome with emotion. Above all, they felt love for each other and for Joyce filling their hearts and souls. They broke apart when they heard the sound of the door being unlocked with the keypad outside of it. The four of them hurriedly wiped away any tears and tried to look as neutral as possible as Joyce walked into the room. Joyce gave a little yelp when she saw the kids in the room.

"Kids!" she exclaimed. "What are you all doing in here?"

Jim stammered to get an explanation in. The kids hurriedly came up with an excuse.

"Just a little family meeting," El said.

"Yeah, Jim was checking in," added Will.

"He just wanted to make sure we all had everything we need before we went to bed," Jonathan finished.

Joyce beamed at Jim, looking impressed.

"Did he now?" she asked. "Well, wasn't that thoughtful of him?"

Joyce plopped herself down on the bed and gave Jim a kiss on the cheek. Jim looked at the kids and gave them a quick wink that Joyce missed, silently thanking them for coming up with a story so quickly.

"Anyway, we have everything we need, Dad," El said, standing up from the bed and pulling Will and Jonathan with her. "We'll see you guys tomorrow at breakfast, yeah?"

Jim nodded at the kids as El dragged the boys to the door.

"See you tomorrow, kids. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" El, Will and Jonathan shouted together as they hurriedly walked out of the room and found themselves in the hallway again.

"Whew, that was close," Will said. "I thought for sure we were gonna get caught in a group hug."

"Yeah, well at least Joyce bought the story," El said.

"For now," added Jonathan. "We just gotta make sure we don't have any more close calls."

Will and El nodded at him as they all started walking back to their own staterooms. They reached Jonathan's first and bade him goodnight before Will and El kept walking to their rooms. They paused outside of El's room.

"Well, it looks like we're gonna officially be siblings, Will!" El said with a happy expression.

"Yeah, we are," Will replied, smiling. "It'll be nice not having to say you're  _ like  _ my sister. Now you'll just be my sister with no explanation needed."

El smiled warmly.

"I'm glad we're gonna officially be family," she said, giving Will a quick hug. "I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah, El, goodnight," Will said before El waved at him and disappeared into her stateroom.

Will walked the short distance to his and Mike's room. He opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake up Mike just in case he had fallen asleep. Will was glad he had been quiet; Mike had fallen asleep with his book lying across his chest. Will smiled to himself as he quietly tiptoed across the room. He picked up Mike's book and placed it onto the nightstand next to Mike's side of the bed. Will gently patted Mike on the head and saw Mike's face relax a little bit; he seemed to be sleeping more peacefully after Will's touch.

Will tiptoed to the other side of the bed after shutting off the lamp that Mike had been using to read. He quickly crawled into bed, doing his best not to disturb Mike. Once he was situated, Will pulled out his phone and typed out a message to Chris.

_ Will: Hey, sorry if you're already asleep, or if this wakes you up, but I just thought I'd let you know: Jim is gonna propose to Mom while we're on the trip! _

Will sent the message. He was surprised to see a message bubble with three dots immediately appear on his phone screen. Apparently, Chris was still awake and had his phone right next to him. Within seconds, Chris had replied.

_ Chris: Wait, what? Really? Details! I need details! Now! _

Will chuckled softly to himself as he started to type out the story of what had just happened in Jim and his Mom's room. When he was finished and pressed send, Will felt Mike turn over in his sleep. Mike had somehow gotten closer to Will and nearly had his arm around Will. 

Will blinked at the close contact. He sent a quick message to Chris telling him goodnight and that was about to pass out. Will then put his phone on his bedside nightstand and rolled over slightly so that he would be in Mike's embrace. As Will had hoped, Mike pulled Will a little closer, as if he had been waiting for Will to quit texting. Will found himself burying himself into Mike's hold. He fell asleep quickly, feeling warmer and safer than he had in a long time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all enjoying this story so far! Now that Mike and El have come to terms with their breakup and El has Max now, the story of Mike's romance will shift to Will, as it should. Meanwhile, that proposal Hopper talked about is totally happening! More to come!


	5. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Party and the adults spend time together on board the Disney Cruise Ship. Mike and Will attend a Star Wars marathon, El and Max spend alone time together, Jonathan and Nancy make progress on their story about the mayor's affair, Dustin and Lucas get into mischief and Jim and Joyce take a big step in their relationship.

Will woke with a start. The dream he had been having right before he woke up was not a pleasant one. He only vaguely remembered being chased by some sort of monster while everyone else was looking for him. He was just about to have a fight with the monster when he woke back up. Right away, Will could tell that Mike was no longer in bed with him. Mike's arms were no longer wrapped around him and Will felt evenly warm on both sides; when Mike had been basically cuddling him, Will had felt warmer on his left side because of Mike's body heat. Will realized just how much he missed having Mike next to him. He had fallen asleep easily and he felt a little lost without Mike nearby. 

Will sat up in the bed, groaning slightly to himself as his body adjusted to the new position. He stretched his limbs as best he could and rubbed his eyes to wake up. Will's eyes darted to the rest of the room, but there was no sign of Mike. Frowning slightly, Will glanced to his right toward the veranda. He was relieved to see Mike was sitting outside, apparently admiring the night sky as Mike was glancing toward the heavens. Will grabbed his robe and put it on before he walked over to the veranda. 

Mike didn't look up when Will opened the door. He appeared to Will to be deep in thought. Will approached Mike gently and sat down in the chair next to Mike's. The veranda wasn't that spacious, meaning that Will and Mike were sitting rather close to each other. Will simply stared at Mike for a few moments, silently wondering if Mike would acknowledge his presence. When he got no response, Will sighed to himself quietly.

"What's on your mind, Mike?" Will asked.

Mike startled as if he had just realized Will was with him. He turned to look at Will and his face calmed down when he realized it was only Will next to him. Mike shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing," he answered, giving Will a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Everything's okay, Will."

"Mike, how long is it going to be until you realize that I know when you're not being truthful with me?" Will asked in a chiding tone. "I know when something's bothering you."

Mike sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry," Mike said, looking away and toward the ocean. "I just had a bad dream, is all. Nothing you have to worry about."

"Well, if it was enough for you to get out of bed, it might be worth talking about. You don't have to, of course, but maybe talking about it will make it better, yeah Mike?"

Mike didn't respond for a moment, instead staring at the ocean. Will thought Mike looked beautiful, even though it was dark out and Mike's face was only visible because of the moonlight. Will gulped to himself, hoping that Mike wouldn't hear him. He knew he was head over heels for Mike, but Mike still seemed to have no clue. But maybe this trip could change that.

Suddenly, Mike turned to look at Will. He had some tears welling in his eyes, but he spoke in a rather calm voice.

"It was a dream about you and me," Mike explained. "And it was about that day that El and I broke up."

Will frowned at Mike, wondering why on earth Mike would be dreaming about that, of all things. Still, he knew Mike was still vulnerable about the break up, so Will chose to listen with an open mind.

"Tell me," Will insisted.

Mike sighed.

"And instead of telling me everything would be okay, you told me that I just needed to get over it," Mike said. "That it was just like a high school crush kind of thing and that it wouldn't matter in the long run that El and I dated."

Mike paused here as he wiped away the tears that had started to fall down his face. Will felt his heart break for his friend, understanding why the dream would have upset Mike as much as it did.

"I'm sorry, it was just a stupid dream," Mike said, trying to laugh it off.

"No, Mike, it's okay," Will said gently, reaching across and taking Mike's hand in his own. "I hope you know that I would never, ever say those things to you. Never."

Mike nodded and impatiently wiped away more tears.

"I know, I know," he said in a shaky voice. "But there's always this voice in my head telling me that you will say those things to me. That I'll like, I don't know, cross a line or be too sad for you to care enough about me. I know you would never, Will, but I can't stop that voice telling me all of those things.

At this, Mike dissolved completely into tears. Will quickly switched seats so he was sitting on Mike's chair and wrapped his arms protectively around Mike. The two of them stayed that way for a couple of minutes while Mike cried his eyes out. When Mike had finally calmed down and his breathing had returned to normal, Will lifted himself out of the hug, but kept his arms on Mike's waist. 

"I want you to listen to me carefully, Mikey, okay?" Will said.

Mike nodded as he sniffled. 

"I will always be there for you, Mike, I promise you. You just have to remember that when that nasty voice in your head tells you all of those bad things. None of them are true, Mike, and I hope you know that." Mike nodded again. "And you can always talk to me about whatever's on your mind. You're never being a burden by talking about your feelings, Mike. It's not healthy for you to bottle everything up, and I don't want you to have to go through things on your own, okay?"

"Okay," Mike whispered as he rested his head on Will's shoulder.

"And remember: if we go crazy, then we go crazy together, right?"

Mike chuckled weakly. Hearing that sound brought warm feelings to Will's heart.

"Yeah, Willie, of course. Crazy together."

"Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep, Mikey?"

"I will if you're there," Mike whispered back.

"Okay, then let's get you back to bed."

Will helped Mike stand up. He wrapped his arm around Mike and they shuffled awkwardly back through the veranda door. Will hurriedly shut it behind them before he guided Mike over to the bed. Mike crawled into bed and Will joined him. Once they were in bed together, Mike scooted closer to Will, who pulled him into a warm embrace. Mike's head ended up on Will's chest. Neither boy had ever felt so comfortable in their lives.

"Goodnight, Willie. And thank you," Mike said, barely able to keep the tiredness out of his voice.

Will hesitated before he gave Mike a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Mikey."

* * *

El opened her eyes, slowly adjusting to the bright sunlight that was shining into the stateroom. Max still had her arms wrapped around El, which made El feel warm and happy. Max seemed to sense that El was awake, as she started talking.

"Good morning, my love," Max said in a singsong voice that made El blush slightly.

"Good morning, my love," El replied groggily. 

"Wow, I can't believe I actually get to say those words to you now," said Max, squeezing El a little harder.

"Me neither. Is Nancy still around?"

"Nah, she left a little bit ago after I woke up. I guess she and Jonathan went to have breakfast together."

El groaned slightly.

"I don't wanna get out of bed," she whined.

Max chuckled.

"Babe, come on, you can't just stay in bed all day."

"Yes I can! We're on vacation! We're supposed to be relaxing!"

"Yeah, but we're not just supposed to veg out all day. We gotta get up and stretch our bodies out. Do you really wanna spend all of our vacation with a bad back because we decided to spend a lazy day in bed?"

"That wouldn't be too terrible," El said thoughtfully. 

"Oh please," Max scoffed. "You know how much you'd be complaining about your back hurting?"

"Hey, to be fair, you would be too."

"Yeah, I guess I would," Max said softly. "I guess we can read each other like books, huh?"

"That's what happens when you're in love," El said as she turned over to face Max. Both girls adjusted themselves so they wouldn't be uncomfortable. They smiled at each other as they held each other close.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Max asked, blushing slightly as she spoke.

El grinned at her.

"You're not so bad yourself," she retorted.

Max chuckled appreciatively.

"Shut up and kiss me," Max said.

"Ugh, with that morning breath? I don't think so."

"I don't care," Max replied, giggling. "Come here, woman."

"'Woman?'" El said in an amused tone. "You know I could get used to you calling me that."

"Well stop talking and come here, woman," Max commanded again.

El giggled as she leaned forward. Max closed the gap between them and kissed El passionately. Although they were both lying down, the kiss was exactly as passionate as their first one the night before. It was every bit as special and full of love. When they broke apart, both girls were blushing profusely.

"You're amazing," Max said breathlessly.

"You're too much," El replied, grinning at her girlfriend. 

"You know, this is my favorite part."

"About this vacation?"

Max shook her head.

"About everything. About getting to love you out in the open and not having to hide it anymore. I just feel so much better about myself. So thank you for that."

"Well, thank you for being open and honest with me about how you felt," El said, caressing Max's cheek for a moment. "I don't think I've ever had someone be so vulnerable for me. It was wonderful."

Max smiled at El and pulled her in for another kiss.

"I love you so much, El," Max whispered.

"I love you, too, Max. I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize it. But I love you, too."

* * *

Joyce sat down at the dining table where she and Jim had been seated before they went through the all-you-can eat buffet. She had loaded her plate with eggs, sausage and toast, while also grabbing a cup of coffee before she sat back down. She took a sip of her coffee before she got her silverware ready to eat and she sat waiting on Jim. She had waited about a minute before Jim sat down with her, holding only a coffee cup and a copy of a newspaper in his hands.

"Uh, I hope you're eating a little more than that, honey," Joyce chided before she took a bite of her eggs. 

"Yeah, I will," Jim replied. "I just love to have at least one cup of coffee before I dive in to eating anything."

"Well no wonder Flo is always calling me, worried about your health."

"What are you talking about?" Hopper asked with a knowing grin.

"She's always worried that you're not getting enough nutrition and that you spend way too much time drinking coffee in the mornings."

Jim smirked.

"What can I say, Joyce? Mornings are for..."

"Coffee and contemplation," Joyce finished in a bored voice for Jim. "Yeah, I've heard that one before, Hop. But really, you should at least have some toast or something. It's not good to start the day with caffeine on an empty stomach."

"Don't worry Joyce," Jim said with a chuckle. "I'm gonna get something to eat. I just like to have one cup of coffee in before I dig in."

"Well all right then," Joyce said, sensing the debate was finished and returning to her meal. Jim opened the newspaper and was skimming through it while he sipped his coffee. When Joyce was nearly done eating, Jim put down the newspaper. He looked like he had a concerned expression on his face.

"Can I ask you something without you reading too much into why I'm asking it?" Jim asked.

Joyce frowned at him.

"I mean, I guess so, but you already have me reading into why you made that request."

"No, it's nothing too bad or anything, I just wanted to ask you something to get your opinion."

"Well sure, honey, you know you can always ask my opinion about things. You know that I'm basically always right."

Both of them chuckled heartily at Joyce's statement.

"Yeah, that's true." Jim said, hesitating for a moment before he sighed and just came right out with it. "Have you ever thought about getting married again?"

"Oh," Joyce said. If there was anything she was expecting Jim to ask her about, it was certainly not marriage. "I mean, I've thought about it over the years ever since Lonnie and I broke up."

"And?" Jim prompted.

Joyce shrugged.

"I mean, I wouldn't want to rush into things or anything like I did with Lonnie, but I thought, you know with the right person that I would be willing to get married again."

Jim nodded at her, looking somewhat relieved at her answer.

"After Sarah passed and Diane and I split up, I didn't ever think I wanted to be married again," Jim confessed. "Hell, I didn't even think I wanted another child until I found El. But I don't know. Lately, I've felt more open to the idea of getting married."

Joyce grinned at Jim.

"Is this your way of proposing to me, Hop? Because it's certainly not the most romantic of proposals."

"No, no," Jim said hurriedly. "I was just seeing if you had ever thought about it. And I was just being honest."

"Oh," Joyce said, looking a little crestfallen. "I was thinking you were about to pull out a ring on me."

Jim chuckled.

"Trust me, Joyce, I'd be a little more romantic about it."

"Well, I certainly hope so!"

* * *

Jonathan looked up when Nancy returned to their stateroom. She had gone for breakfast on her own at Jonathan’s insistence, promising to bring him back something to eat because he wanted to stay behind to do some research on the Hawkins mayor and the trip that he had taken. Nancy set the plate down on the nightstand next to Jonathan’s side of the bed before she sat down in the chair that was set up near the veranda door. She pulled out her notebook and pen, ready to take notes from whatever Jonathan found out.

“Thanks for the eggs, Nance,” Jonathan said, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth quickly. He swallowed it in moments.

“Have you found out anything?” Nancy asked.

“Yes and no,” said Jonathan. “I mean, I’ve gotten some answers to my questions, but some things are still unresolved.”

“Well, that’s a start anyway. What have you got?”

“The only thing I have for sure is the official statement from Kline’s office about his trip that he’s on,” Jonathan said as he pulled up the emailed reply he had received from the mayor’s spokesman. “It reads ‘Mayor Kline is taking a well deserved family vacation this week. He will be out of the office for a period of two weeks, during which any questions may be referred to his communications team.’ So, they admit that he is out of the office, but they don’t say where.”

“You’re sure it says family vacation?” Nancy asked.

“Yeah, so I checked into that, too. According to the ticketing agency Kline used, he’s the only one who has a ticket on board in his family. So I called his home and one of the maids there confirmed his wife and kids are still at home. I could even hear Mrs. Kline in the background telling the kids she was going out for a trip to the grocery store.”

“Okay, so it’s definitely not a true family vacation,” said Nancy, jotting down all of what Jonathan was telling her. “Any word on the secretary?”

“Well, I called Kline’s office and I got a spokesman on the phone,” Jonathan explained. “She wouldn’t go into detail, but I got her to say that the secretary, Candice, is also out for vacation. She gave me her phone number and I called. Got a voicemail and left a message. I left your number, too, so you might get a call back. My phone was dying, so I said it would be best to call you just in case.”

“Good thinking,” Nancy said with a grin. “Maybe she’d be more willing to talk to a woman about this, you know?”

Jonathan nodded.

“That’s what I thought, too. I figured if push comes to shove, she’d be more willing to talk to you about this. She might find me, you know, a little too out there or something.”

“You? Out there? No way!” Nancy said, smirking. 

Jonathan chuckled.

“That was subtle, thanks,” he said. 

“No problem. Anything else good?”

“Nothing else that’s solid. I had just enough time to do all of that while you were gone. I was gonna try emailing Kline’s email directly to see if he has an automated response set up. And then I was thinking about calling Mrs. Kline again and seeing what I could find out about where he told her he was going this weekend.”

“Good idea,” Nancy said as she finished taking notes. “Nicely done, my dear.”

Jonathan grinned.

“I try,” he said. “You know, maybe I should be a reporter and photographer. This detective work stuff is kinda fun.”

“Yeah, I think you’d be great at both,” Nancy replied before her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the number. “It’s from Hawkins, but I don’t recognize it. Bet it’s the secretary!”

Jonathan nodded as he pulled out his own phone and started dialing a number.

“I’ll call Mrs. Kline while you talk to her,” Jonathan said.

Nancy nodded before she slid her finger across her phone screen to answer the call. 

“Hello, this Nancy Wheeler,” Nancy said in her most professional voice. It sounded less feminine than she usually spoke, but it still certainly sounded like her. 

“Hi, um, there was a voicemail on the answering machine to give you or some guy named Jonathan a call back,” said a nervous sounding young man on the other end. 

“Yes, thank you for calling me. Can I ask what your name is?”

“My name is Johnny,” said the young man.

“And Johnny, are you related to Candice Brooke by chance?”

“Yeah, she’s my Mom,” said Johnny. “Um, who are you?”

“Well, I’m sure Jonathan explained it in the voicemail, but my name is Nancy Wheeler and I work for The Hawkins Post, the newspaper that covers Hawkins news,” Nancy explained, trying to keep her tone as gently as possible for Johnny’s sake. He sounded incredibly nervous.

“Um, well if you wanted to speak to my Mom, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to wait. She’s gone on a weeklong trip to go visit a friend of hers.”

“That’s okay, Johnny. I was actually hoping to find out more information about your Mom’s trip, if you don’t mind.”

“I mean, I guess so,” Johnny said, still sounding slightly nervous. “Are you going to put what I tell you into the newspaper?”

“No, no,” Nancy said quickly. “This information I’m looking for is being gathered on what’s known as ‘deep background.’ Basically, I’m just gathering background information from various people, trying to find out as much as I can. I won’t be naming you in a story, if I do end up writing one, and nobody will have to know it was you who provided me with this information.”

“Oh, okay,” Johnny said, starting to sound a little more at ease. Nancy let out a breath of relief, praying that Johnny wouldn’t notice it. “Um, you know I don’t think I would mind if you used my name in this story. Especially if it involves Mayor Kline.”

Nancy perked up at the mention of the mayor’s name. She grabbed her notebook again and started jotting down notes as quickly as she could while she spoke to Johnny.

“Can you tell me why you said that, Johnny?” Nancy asked.

“Because Mayor Kline has been cheating on his wife with my Mom,” Johnny replied shortly.

Nancy nearly dropped her notebook in surprise.

“Johnny, you do remember that you’re speaking on the record with a reporter from The Hawkins Post and that anything you tell me is fair game to print in the newspaper?” Nancy said, hoping Johnny wasn’t pulling her leg, but somehow knowing that he wasn’t.

“Yes, I know, Nancy.” 

“Okay, I just want to make sure before we proceed,” Nancy said, her heart pounding as she considered the weight of what Johnny was telling her. “So, can you tell me how you know Mayor Kline has been having an affair with your Mom?”

She heard Johnny sigh deeply on the other end of the line. It sounded as though he had wanted to speak about this topic for a while now.

“Well, after my dad died three years ago, Mom started hanging around at work longer,” Johnny said. “At first, I thought that was her way of coping with Dad dying. You know, spending more time at the office so she could delay having to sleep in a big empty bed by herself. For a while, I just assumed that was the case. That was, until she started taking a bunch of calls in her room without telling us anything about them.”

“What do you mean?”

“She would suddenly take calls during the weirdest time in the evenings. Sometimes right when she got home, sometimes when we were eating dinner, sometimes even after we told her goodnight. I would hear her talking behind her bedroom. I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but I just assumed it was always the same person. And then I followed her one day.”

“You followed your mother? What happened?”

“She told us she was meeting a friend for lunch one Saturday,” Johnny said, starting to sound a little angry as he relived the memory. “But she wouldn’t tell us who it was, just said it was ‘an old friend.’ So I got a little suspicious and I decided to follow her on my bike. She went to a restaurant on the outskirts of Hawkins. I waited outside until she came out. When she finally did, she was with the Mayor.”

Nancy paused in her notetaking, wondering if Johnny was merely making an assumption just based on seeing his mother and the mayor together at a restaurant. She voiced just as much to Johnny.

“See, that’s what I thought too until I saw them walk over to his car and caught them kissing,” Johnny said with a bite to his tone. “I almost screamed out when I saw it, but instead, I took a picture of them kissing. Later that night when I confronted my Mom about it, she said I didn’t understand what was happening and that I should mind my own business.”

Nancy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It almost sounded too good to be true. She scribbled down the rest of what Johnny had told her so far before she asked her next question.

“Johnny, I’m very sorry that you had to find out about the affair that way,” Nancy said. “But I do want to say thank you for telling me all of this. This is really helpful. I hate to ask you for anything else, but would you happen to have that picture still?”

“I do. I can send it to you after we get off this call. Do you have an email address?”

“Yes, yes,” Nancy said hurriedly. She then read off her email to Johnny, praying that he was being serious and wasn’t pulling her leg. “Thank you so much for telling me this.”

“It wasn’t easy, if I’m being honest. I know I’m hurting my Mom by coming out and telling you this, but I have to be honest about it. The Mayor is taking advantage of his position and I can’t just sit back and take that.”

“Thank you again, Johnny. Oh and one more thing: can you provide me with a phone number for the friend your Mom is visiting?”

“Yeah sure,” Johnny said before giving Nancy the number to call.

“Thank you again for everything, Johnny. Can I call you again if I have any follow-up questions?”

“Of course, Nancy. Anything I can do to help take down that bastard.”

Nancy chuckled lightly.

“Well, that’s not my ultimate goal, but I get your sentiment. Thank you again, Johnny.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll get that picture emailed to you right away.”

“Sounds good. Goodbye, Johnny.”

“Goodbye, Nancy.”

Nancy hung up the phone, feeling mind blown by the phone call she had just had. If what she was told was true, then she and Jonathan’s job just got a whole lot easier and they would have more direct evidence about the affair. She glanced over at Jonathan, who was still on the phone and jotting down some notes as well. Nancy looked over her notes from her phone call with Johnny when her phone buzzed with an email alert. She picked up her phone and opened her email. 

_From: johnny.brooke@gmail.com_

_To: nwheeler@hawkinspost.com_

_Subject: Picture_

_Nancy,_

_Here is the picture I took of Mayor Kline kissing my Mom after they had lunch on the day I followed them. You have my permission to use it however you need to for your story._

_Thanks again for talking to me. I’m glad someone is trying to find out all the dirty tricks the Mayor is up to behind closed doors._

_-Johnny_

Nancy opened the attachment. Sure enough, there was a clear photo of Mayor Kline kissing Candice Brooke, his secretary. They were surrounded by car doors, obviously hoping not to be seen by reporters or by citizens of Hawkins. But their faces were clearly visible in the picture. Kline looked rather satisfied with himself while the ghost of a smile was on Candice’s face. Nancy gasped as she realized she was holding the most damning evidence of the Mayor’s affair in her hands.

“Great thank you very much,” Jonathan said, pulling Nancy out of her stupor. “Yes, I will be in touch if I have any more questions. Thank you again for your time. Bye.”

Jonathan hung up his phone and finished writing down his notes before he looked up at Nancy with a triumphant expression. 

“I think I got it,” Jonathan said.

“Yeah, me too,” Nancy said. 

“Wait, you talked to the secretary?”

Nancy shook her head.

“No, I talked to her son,” she said. And then she relayed everything that Johnny had told her, referring to her notes on several occasions to make sure she told the story accurately. When she showed Jonathan the picture she had received, Jonathan’s eyes widened comically.

“Holy shit,” he whispered under his breath. “This means the story is basically confirmed.”

“Yeah, but we’re probably gonna need more evidence,” Nancy said. “An affair alone isn’t quite bad enough. We’ll have to use the evidence gathered by the other reporters and editors showing mismanaging of city money. That will be enough for a corruption story. And that would be enough to force his resignation.”

Jonathan nodded, looking slightly disappointed, but also understanding in Nancy’s reasoning.

“So, what did you find out?” Nancy asked.

“Well, his wife didn’t confirm if he’s having an affair, but she certainly thinks so and she does think it’s the secretary,” Jonathan said, glancing down at his notes. “She says they’ve gotten super closer over the last few years and that she doesn’t buy her husband’s excuses of ‘late nights at the office.’ And she says that he told her he was going camping with some buddies up in Washington. I asked her if she believed him and she said no. When I suggested looking at their finances to see if she could get an idea of where he is, she thought that was a good idea.”

“Holy shit, excellent idea!” Nancy exclaimed, beaming at Jonathan. 

“Thanks, Nance,” Jonathan replied. “Anyway, she said she’d call again if she found anything out and she’d even email me anything she thought would be relevant. I think we’re getting close, Nance.”

“Oh my god, this is going to turn into such a huge story!”

“I know! I don’t even know where to begin with all of this that we’ve found.”

“I think we should give the editors a call and let them know what we’ve found and to see how they want us to proceed,” Nancy said. “It’s better we keep them in the loop so we don’t do anything we’re not supposed to.”

“Good idea, Nance.”

* * *

“This is a bad idea! This is a bad idea!” Lucas was practically shouting as he and Dustin approached The Cadillac Lounge. 

“Would you keep your voice down?” Dustin hissed. “And for god’s sake, relax, Lucas. It’s not like we’re breaking the law or anything.”

“Yeah, but what happens when we get caught and Hopper finds out about it? Don’t you think he’d lock us up in the Hawkins jail for a few nights as punishment?”

“No,” Dustin said, sounding exasperated at the idea. 

“Why wouldn’t he?” Lucas demanded. “That sounds like just the kind of thing Hopper would do for a laugh.”

“Maybe, but we’re also Will’s best friends.”

“So?”

“So, if Will finds out about Hopper doing that, he tells his Mother. Then his Mom finds out and gets mad at Hopper and yells at him to get us out of jail immediately. Hell, she’d probably beat him with a stick if she got mad enough.”

Lucas scoffed.

“Okay, whatever you say, Dustin, but I still say this is a bad idea.”

“You’ve just gotta relax, Lucas,” Dustin said as they reached the outside of the restaurant. “Trust me, even if we do get caught, it’s not like they have a jail on the ship or anything. They’ll just bring us back to our stateroom and make us stay there for a while.”

“Yeah and we’d probably never be allowed on a cruise ship ever again.”

“Oh, are you planning another cruise ship vacation next month?”

“Well, no, but…”

“But nothing!” Dustin exclaimed. “Just relax and let’s try to have a good time while we’re on this ship. Now shut up so I can make sure no one we know is in there before we go in.”

“There are other ways of having fun,” Lucas muttered under his breath.

Dustin scoffed but didn’t say anything. Instead, he scanned the restaurant, looking for signs of Mr. Clarke and his girlfriend. When he didn’t see them, Dustin grinned. He also looked around to see if any of the wait staff was watching the front door. Apparently they were all busy helping patrons.

“Okay, I think the coast is clear,” Dustin said. “No sign of Mr. Clarke or his girlfriend and all of the waiters are busy. So we should be able to get in and grab a table real quick before anyone sees us. Are you ready?”

“No,” Lucas said, but Dustin ignored him.

“Come on,” said Dustin, motioning for Lucas to follow him. They started walking toward the entrance to The Cadillac Lounge. Unfortunately for them, just as they were about to walk inside, a familiar voice called out to them.

“Dustin! Lucas!”

“Shit,” Lucas muttered.

“Be cool, be cool,” Dustin ordered as they turned around to face Mrs. Byers and Hopper. Mrs. Byers looked pleasantly surprised to see them while Hopper was scowling.

“You boys aren’t trying to go into this restaurant, are you?” asked Joyce. “You know it’s only for adults, right?”

“Oh, no, Mrs. Byers,” Dustin said quickly. “We were just walking by.”

“Really? Just walking by?” asked Hopper, still scowling at the boys.

“Yeah, just looking,” Dustin repeated before he slapped Lucas’s arm lightly.

“Yeah,” Lucas said in a quiet voice.

“Well, you boys get a move on and have a good time today,” Joyce said with a smile. “We’re gonna go and have some lunch.”

Joyce then tugged Jim into the restaurant. He was still glaring at the boys as if he knew exactly what they were up to, but he didn’t say anything. Once the adults were out of earshot, Lucas rounded on Dustin.

“See why this is a bad idea?” he hissed. “We can’t keep risking almost getting caught.”

“Oh we’re gonna be fine, Lucas. All we gotta do now is wait a day since Mr. Clarke and his girlfriend ate her last night. Mrs. Byers and Hopper are eating here now. They’re not gonna want to eat at the same place twice in a row like that. We’re still going in.”

Lucas groaned. 

* * *

"Okay, Mike, look up and smile," Will said, holding up his phone to take a selfie with Mike. They were in the back row of the movie theatre, where the entire Skywalker Saga was going to be screened during the cruise ship.

Mike looked up and grinned at Will's phone, and Will quickly snapped a picture of the two of them. He put his arm down to look at the picture.

"Oh, we look great!" Will exclaimed as his fingers became a blur as he opened Instagram on his phone to upload the picture.

"Let me see!" Mike said, trying to peer over Will's shoulder, but Will used part of his body to block Mike from seeing the phone.

"You'll see it once it's uploaded!" Will said.

Mike pouted slightly and Will grinned as he typed out the caption on the picture. He wrote "Seeing the best film series with the best friend in the world, @mike.wheeler. May the Force be with us!" Will then applied a quick filter onto the picture before he pressed send and it uploaded to his Instagram page. 

Mike whipped out his phone as soon as it pinged to let him know he had a notification from Will tagging him in the post. He quickly unlocked his phone and went to Instagram.

"Oh, gross, I look like death," Mike groaned when he saw the picture. 

"Stop, Mike, you look great," Will said, trying his best not to sound annoyed.

"No, my eyes are almost half shut and my eyebrows are weirdly shaped. Ugh, Will, we gotta do a new one!"

"Mike, stop!" Will said, trying not to shout so he didn't attract attention. "You always look good, Mike. And you do in this picture, so I'm not taking it down. Hell, I might even make it my phone wallpaper if you don't shut it."

Will smirked as Mike's eyes widened and Mike simply stared at him, too stunned to come up with a reaction of some sort. Finally Mike let out a hollow sigh.

"Fine," he said grumpily. "Keep the picture up. Though I must say, you certainly look good in it, Willie," he added in a teasing tone. "Then again, when don't you look good in pictures?"

Will blushed as Mike grinned evilly at him. Then their attention was grabbed by a Disney Cruise employee who had appeared at the front of the theatre and was waving at the audience to quiet down. Several audience members, Will included, shushed the crowd, which came to silence in a matter of seconds.

"Hello, Star Wars fans!" the employee shouted into a microphone.

The audience cheered loudly at this. Mike and Will joined in, clapping enthusiastically and whooping with the rest of the audience. 

"Well, we all know you're here to watch the eight films in the Skywalker Saga," the employee continued. "We're doing this ahead of the release of The Rise of Skywalker later this year as a treat to all Star Wars fans on board the ship with us. As you know, we'll be splitting the films up over a three day period, with today being for the prequels, tomorrow the original trilogy and the next day for the sequel trilogy that sets up the events we'll see in December during The Rise of Skywalker."

The audience cheered loudly again. The employee smiled and clapped along with the audience before waving his hands for quiet again.

"But, we also have a small surprise for you all. A member of the Skywalker family will be joining us for our screenings!"

The audience erupted into wild speculation as to who would be watching the movies. Mike and Will glanced at each other, beaming, as they thought about who they would like to see come out on stage.

"This actor is well known for many roles," the employee explained as the audience started to cheer loudly. "He's been an old monk, a parody of his most famous role and he's played an infamous villain, too. But he's perhaps best known for his iconic role dating back to 1977 as Luke Skywalker!"

If anyone had been listening outside, they might have thought a bomb had gone off in the theatre. The audience's applause was so loud that several people had to cover their ears as everyone clapped, whistled, whooped and shouted.

"Please welcome..." the employee shouted. "The one. The only. Mark Hamill!"

At this, the cheering became even louder, if that were possible. Everyone was screaming and clapping as loud as they could as several people darted around the theatre, looking to see where Mark Hamill would be coming in. Mark soon appeared at the front of the theatre with the Disney employee. He wore an excited expression on his face. Like he always did when an audience was cheering him on, Mark looked shocked that the applause was for him. True to his persona, Mark pointed to himself and mouthed "For me? Oh!" before waving his hand as if the applause was too much. 

It was several minutes before the audience's cheering got quiet enough for words to be clearly spoken. While he waited, Mark simply smiled and waved at members of the audience, looking thrilled to be there amongst fans. Once the applause had dyed down, Mark was handed a microphone.

"Well, hi, everybody!" Mark yelled. "How's everyone doing?"

More cheers echoed throughout the theatre. Mike and Will glanced at each other again, both of them at a loss for words that they were in the same room as one of their favorite actors.

"Are we doing something today?" Mark asked. Several audience members laughed as others cheered. "What's that? Oh, we're gonna watch some Star Wars movies. Sounds good to me!"

There were more cheers.

"Yeah, we're gonna watch the Star Wars movies that are so much easier for me to watch because I'm not in them!" Mark exclaimed. "You guys have no idea how much pressure there is to watch a film that you're in. That's why I love the prequels because I don't have to keep judging myself when I watch them!"

"You rock, Mark!" Mike shouted. "We love you!"

"I love you back!" Mark replied. Mike's eyes widened happily and he blushed a little. Will beamed at Mike, taking a quick picture of Mike on his phone without Mike noticing. "So, what do you say, everyone? Are you ready to watch some Star Wars?"

The audience cheered loudly again. It was nearly as loud as when Mark was announced to be the surprise guest. Mark grinned at the audience before he spoke again after it got quiet.

"Then let's get started and May the F..."

"Force be with you!" the audience shouted back. Mark laughed and took a small bow as he stepped away from the front of the theatre and the audience cheered again.

Mike and Will looked at each other again, smiling widely.

"Can you believe it?" Mike asked, sounding more excited than Will had ever heard him.

"No!" Will replied, looking just as enthusiastic. "I can't believe we're in the same room as Mark Hamill!"

Just then, the lights in the theatre dimmed and the Lucasfilm logo appeared on the screen. After that, the blue text appeared on the screen with the infamous tagline of the whole Star Wars series: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

The audience went silent as the blue words disappeared, then the yellow "Star Wars" for the opening fanfare appeared while John Williams' iconic score played over it and the audience erupted into loud cheers once again. 

When the opening crawl was finished and the cheering died down again, Will hesitantly brought his hand closer to Mike's. He scooted it closer and closer to Mike's hand before he rested his hand on top of Mike's hand. Mike turned to look at Will with a confused expression. Will simply stared at Mike as if silently asking, "Is this okay?" Mike grinned and nodded at Will before he turned over his hand and grabbed onto Will's curling their fingers together. Will was grateful for the dark theatre, as he was sure his entire face had turned a deep shade of red at Mike's gesture. He turned away from Mike's gaze to try to focus on the movie. It was going to be harder than he thought. 

* * *

"Wait, where are we going?" El asked as Max dragged her down one of the many hallways of the cruise ship. After they had had dinner and returned to their stateroom, the girls had briefly chatted with Nancy until Nancy disappeared to continue work on her story about the mayor with Jonathan. Once Nancy was gone, Max had grabbed El by the hand, telling her to follow her for a surprise. 

"You'll see in just a moment," Max replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of her tone. El had asked repeatedly where they were going, but Max had remained tight lipped about the whole thing. 

The two of them zigzagged through a few more hallways before Max turned down one hallway that seemed to lead to an indoor pool. El could smell chlorine in the air, but strangely she couldn't hear the sounds of children screaming and splashing in the water. 

When Max reached the door that lead into the pool, El noticed right away that the pool was empty. Although there were signs that people had used the pool earlier in the day, with water on the floor and some towels still out on chairs, it was clear that it hadn't been used in a little while.

"What are we doing here?" El asked.

"Thank god we're here because if you had asked me that one more time I'd have thrown you into the pool when we got here, fully clothed," Max said with a smirk. 

El laughed but quickly frowned at Max, confused as to why she was brought to an empty swimming pool.

"So..."

"Before you ask me that question again, here's the answer: this pool is closed off to children starting at 6 at night. Until 6 in the morning, it's only open for adults."

"But we're not adults. Are you trying to get us busted? We're gonna end up like Dustin and Lucas with them trying to sneak into that restaurant!"

"No we're not," Max said calmly. "Because I already talked to the guy who's in charge of managing this pool. I told him that I wanted to take you here for a little time alone together swimming because we both love it so much. And he told me that it's usually empty until 9 because all of the adults are at dinner with their kids and then when the kids are put to bed, the adults come swimming for their alone time."

Max was beaming at El, who still felt a little uncomfortable about the prospect of swimming in a restricted pool.

"And the guy said that as long as we don't cause a lot of ruckus, he'd let us stay in here until 9, so we can enjoy some swimming time together without a bunch of kids screaming around us."

Finally, El smiled at Max. She pulled Max in for a hug and they held each other tightly for a few moments. When they broke the hug, Max was blushing slightly.

"So, is that a yes?" Max asked.

"That's a hell yes," El replied. "This is so happening and it's happening now!"

"Well, here, I brought out swimming suits in my bag," Max said, pulling her bag around from her side and opening it, handing El her swimming suit. 

The girls changed into their swimming suits quickly. Once they were changed, they grabbed hands and walked quickly to the edge of the pool before jumping right into it. There was an enormous splash as they hit the water; both girls hoped that their clothes wouldn't be suddenly soaking wet because of the large splash. Once they resurfaced, the girls held onto each other tightly, pressing their foreheads together as they drifted around in the water. After a few minutes of this, El raised her forehead from Max, who looked up at El, frowning, before El bent down and kissed Max deeply. Once the kiss was broken, El spoke again, just loud enough for Max to hear her.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Jim and Joyce swayed to the music as karaoke singers were singing on stage. They were attending a Disney themed karaoke party. The singers were currently belting out "Strangers Like Me" from the animated "Tarzan" film, a favorite of Joyce's, who was beaming the whole time the song was playing. Once the song was finished, Joyce was among the loudest of the audience members who cheered the loudest. The singers then exited the stage and the MC stepped forward to announce the next singer.

"Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers!" the MC shouted.

Joyce froze for a moment while Jim turned to face her, smiling widely. Joyce stared at Jim in shock, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"Come on, honey, you know you love singing!" Jim shouted as the audience cheered, realizing where they were after Jim waved up at the MC.

"Not in front of other people!" Joyce replied, her face heating up.

"Would you relax? Besides, I picked one of your favorite songs!" Jim said, grabbing Joyce's hand and pulling her toward the stairs that led to the stage. 

Jim ignored Joyce's halfhearted protests as they walked onto the stage, the audience cheering loudly for them. Joyce stared at the audience, barely able to see it because of the bright lights shining on stage, which made her feel a little better. Jim handed her a microphone before he accepted one for himself. They stood in the center of the stage, Jim beaming brightly while Joyce looked nervous.

"Honey, relax," Jim said. "You're gonna be great."

"Which song are we doing?"

Instead of answering her verbally, Jim pointed to the screen where they could the lyrics in case they got lost. The screen displayed a picture of a lion with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" written across it. Joyce looked up at Jim, smiling widely. Jim gave her a quick kiss, which earned him a loud cheer from the audience. 

The music began playing and soon Joyce broke in with the first verse.

" _There's a calm surrender to the rush of day. When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away. An enchanted moment, and it sees me through. It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you._ "

As the chorus played, Jim joined Joyce in singing.

" _And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are. It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer, that we got this far. And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest. It's enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best._ " 

Jim sang the next verse on his own.

" _There's a time for everyone, if they only learn. That the twistin' kaleidoscope moves us all in turn. There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors. When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours_."

Joyce sang the chorus with Jim.

" _And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are. It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer, that we go this far. And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest. It's enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best_."

Joyce sang the outro lyrics on her own.

" _It's enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best_."

Joyce carried the final notes for several paces as the music died down and it soon became silent. There was total silence in the room and for a moment, Joyce was worried they had butchered the song. But then the audience erupted into the loudest cheers of any of the karaoke singers. Joyce started to blush while Jim took the opportunity to bow somewhat obnoxiously, earning him loud cheers and waves from some of the women in the audience. Joyce handed her microphone back to the MC and made to leave the stage. She hesitated when she realized Jim wasn't following her and she turned to look at him.

"Actually, hang on a second, Joyce, hang on a second," said the MC, hurrying over to Joyce and grabbing her hand and bringing her back to the center of the stage. "I think Jim has something important he wants to talk to you about. Jim?"

Jim nodded at the MC and grinned at Joyce. Joyce was feeling confused and had no idea what was going on at all.

"Well, the reason I picked that song is because it's your favorite Disney love song, Joyce," Jim said. "I picked it because I wanted you to remember this night for the rest of your life. And although you may forget about the song, I wanted you to remember this."

At that, Jim knelt down on one knee, causing many in the audience to cheer and scream. Joyce cupped her face after her mouth opened in shock. Jim grabbed Joyce's hand once he was down on his knee.

"Joyce , you've made these last few years the best years of my life," Jim said, looking rather stoic as he spoke. There was a bit of a shake to his voice, but he pressed on nonetheless. "I have loved every moment that we spent together and I am so grateful that we found each other again and decided to give each other a chance. I want to continue to give us a chance for the rest of our lives."

Jim let go of Joyce's hand as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box. He opened it and revealed the diamond ring inside. Several audience members gasped when they saw the diamond reflect off the lights shining on the stage. 

"Joyce Byers, will you marry me?"

Joyce wasn't able to speak because of how much she was crying. She just nodded and kneeled down to give Jim a kiss. Jim smiled into the kiss, holding her tightly with the arm that was holding the microphone. The MC stepped forward and took the microphone from Jim so that Jim could hold Joyce properly. Jim awkwardly stood up while they kissed before he finally broke the kiss and pulled Joyce into a hug, causing the loudest uproar from the audience. 

Once they were done hugging, Jim pulled the ring from the box and Joyce held out her hand. Jim carefully placed the ring onto Joyce's finger. Once it was secure, Jim smiled at Joyce and Joyce leapt onto him in another hug. 

"Let's show a little love to Jim and Joyce!" the MC shouted into his microphone.

The audience cheered as loudly as it had the whole night. Jim broke the hug and waved toward the audience, while Joyce did the same, wiping away tears from her face as she did. They soon left the stage together. Several audience members, mostly the men, were high-fiving Jim, who was beaming at all of them. It took several minutes for them to greet the audience members who were congratulating them. Once they were through the crowd, they left the room where the karaoke party was being held. 

As soon as they were out of earshot, Joyce gave Jim another kiss.

"God, I can't believe you did it like that!" she exclaimed. "That was amazing, honey!"

"I'm glad you liked it," Jim replied with a grin. "I love you so much, Joyce."

"I love you, too, Jim. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

* * *

"So how do you think we should do it?" Jonathan asked as he put his camera around his neck.

"I think we just have to tell her that we have the evidence that he's using city funds to pay for this affair," Nancy replied as she closed her notebook and picked it up. "Hopefully, that gets her to turn on him so we have the story."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." 

Jonathan sighed.

"I just hope she doesn't get defensive about everything. I mean, I don't judge her for dating him, but I do feel uncomfortable knowing that my tax dollars are paying for it," he said.

Nancy nodded.

"That's why we tell her that we're not interested in hurting her or her family," Nancy said. "Hopefully that gets her to see things from our perspective and that our only agenda is to prove that the mayor has illegally used city funds to pay for an affair."

"We'd better get going," Jonathan said, standing up. "They'll be leaving the lunch area soon."

For the past two days, Nancy and Jonathan had been silently tailing the mayor and his secretary Candice on board the ship. They had figured out where the couple liked to go for lunch and dinner, and they had both decided it would be best to meet with Candice to reveal their story after the couple had lunch. They had been given the go ahead from the editors at the newspaper to speak with Candice, with the goal of getting Candice to speak about the affair the primary objective. Nancy and Jonathan had been discussing various ways they could approach Candice and had agreed it was best for them to be direct with who they were and what they were working on. They were hoping honesty would be on their side and that Candice would flip on the mayor once she learned he was using city funds to pay for their relationship. 

Nancy and Jonathan hurried to the restaurant where they had seen the mayor and Candice eating lunch during the past two days. They paused once they were outside, not keen on being seen by the mayor before they approached Candice. Almost as if on cue, the mayor walked out with Candice. Mayor Kline had his arm wrapped around Candice and he was smiling widely at her. Once the two were fully outside of the restaurant, Mayor Kline pulled Candice in for a kiss before he waved as he walked away. Candice looked a little disappointed and simply stood rooted to the spot. 

Nancy glanced at Jonathan, who shrugged at her. She nodded at him and the two of them walked over to Candice, who didn't see them approach.

"Excuse me, Candice Brooke?" Nancy said in her most professional voice.

Candice turned to face Nancy. Up close, she was a beautiful woman with short blonde hair. She looked rather confused at someone on board a Disney Cruise Ship knowing her name.

"Yes?" Candice said. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Nancy Wheeler, and this is Jonathan Byers," Nancy said, gesturing to Jonathan, who nodded at Candice. "We were hoping we could have a talk with you."

"About what?" Candice asked, her eyes darting around nervously.

"About the relationship you have with Larry Kline," Nancy answered. Candice's eyes widened in shock.

"Who are you people?" 

"We're interns at The Hawkins Post," Nancy said hurriedly. "We've been working on a story about the mayor and we were hoping to talk to you..."

"No," Candice said sharply, suddenly looking angry. "No, I won't have you slut shaming me for seeing my boss!"

"We're not interested in that, Ms. Brooke," Nancy said.

"We just want to talk to you," Jonathan added, trying to sound reassuring.

"Why? So you can print in the newspaper that Larry and I are having an affair. So you can break up his marriage? So you can expose my family to the paparazzi! I don't think so!"

Candice turned and started walking away from them.

"Wait, Ms. Brooke, please!" Jonathan called.

Candice waved an arm in the air, signaling that she wasn't going to talk to them.

"Ms. Brooke, please, we just wanted to tell you about Mayor Kline using city funds to pay for his relationship with you!" Nancy said quickly.

Candice froze in her tracks. She turned around slowly, looking at Nancy and Jonathan incredulously.

"That is a very serious allegation, Miss Wheeler," Candice snarled. "You had better have proof if you're planning on releasing that detail in the newspaper.

Nancy nodded, gesturing to the bag that was around her shoulder.

"I do have proof, Ms. Brooke," Nancy said. "We've been working on this story for months, along with others at the newspaper. We were asked to talk to you about this now that we have definitive proof that Mayor Kline has been using city funds to pay for your relationship."

Candice sighed and walked back over to Nancy and Jonathan. She still looked cross, but her expression had softened slightly. 

"All right," she said in a heavy voice. "You've got fifteen minutes to explain to me everything that you've got. If I'm not satisfied, I'll simply leave. But if you do have definitive proof of Larry using city funds, I will help you with this story."

"Thank you," Nancy said, looking relieved that Candice was agreeing to talk with them. "Should we go inside and get a table?"

Candice nodded wordlessly at Nancy. Nancy led Candice and Jonathan into the restaurant. They were led to a table that was away from the rest of most of the other patrons eating lunch. Once the waiter had taken their drink orders, Nancy pulled out her notebook and a folder with the information she and Jonathan had obtained, along with everyone else at the newspaper.

"So, like I said, we've been working on this story for a while," Nancy said. "At first, the newspaper was simply tipped off to an affair, and began looking into it."

"Why would the newspaper do that?" Candice asked, sounding annoyed. "That's nobody's business but the people who engage in an affair!"

"I understand that, Ms. Brooke," Nancy said in a soft tone. "And like I said, I’m not interested in making you feel bad for having an affair. That's your business. But I think you'll want to hear what all we've gathered."

Candice stared at Nancy for a moment with a cold expression on her face before she nodded. 

"All right," Nancy said. "So through our reporting, we know that the affair has gone on since your husband passed. We've spoken to your son, who confirmed the affair and even sent us a picture of Mayor Kline and you kissing after a date. But we're not interested in printing that," Nancy said quickly as Candice glared at her and looked like she was going to interrupt. "And we contacted the Mayor's wife, who does suspect an affair between the two of you. She also confirmed she had no idea where her husband was going for his trip, but that she suspected he was lying when he told her."

"Is there a point to all of this?" Candice asked, sounding impatient. "If you're just going to list the details of Larry and I's relationship, then I'm afraid you're just wasting my time."

"So, once we had all of this information, we contacted the editors at the newspaper," Nancy said hurriedly. "The other reporters on this story had pulled Mayor Kline's finances in order to see if there was anything improper going on. As you know, the Mayor's finances are subject to open records. So, with some digging, the reporters came up with this report."

Nancy withdrew a piece of paper and handed it across the table to Candice, who started to read it.

"To explain it simply, the Mayor has been shuffling around city money from the city's account to his personal account," Nancy said. "I've highlighted the transactions that we believe to have to do with your relationship with the Mayor. We also confirmed some of the prices against Mayor Kline's personal finances. You'll notice the amounts he used to pay for this trip were also withdrawn from the city account into the Mayor's personal account."

Candice didn't say anything for a few moments as she looked over the report Nancy had handed her. She read it with a blank expression on her face. Jonathan and Nancy glanced at each other, unsure of what was running through Candice's mind. They waited with baited breath until Candice sighed loudly.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered under his breath. "I told him he was going to get caught if he ever used city funds to pay for our relationship. He seemed to think he was invincible, but I never thought he would actually use city funds to pay for our relationship!"

Candice sighed deeply again. Jonathan glanced at Nancy for a moment; Nancy ignored Jonathan and simply looked at Candice, her chest heaving as she took several breaths, waiting for Candice to say something more.

"Well, I wish it weren't the case, but I see no choice but to help the two of you with your story," Candice said. "I can't condone Larry using city funds for our relationship, so I will help you. I'm going to call off the relationship with Larry after this cruise and I will speak to the both of you when we're all back in Hawkins." 

Nancy and Jonathan both let out breaths of relief. Nancy nearly smiled before she realized the seriousness of their conversation and her expression turned into something of a grimace.

"Thank you, Ms. Brooke," Nancy said breathlessly. "I understand that this isn't easy for you, so thank you for agreeing to talk with us."

"I can trust your discretion in this story?" Candice asked.

Nancy nodded.

"Yes. We're not interested in shaming you for your relationship with the Mayor," Nancy said. "All we're interested in is telling the truth so the people are informed. If anything, our end goal is making sure Mayor Kline does the right thing and steps down."

"Well, if there's anything that I know will cause Larry to step down, it's a story like this," Candice said with a sigh. "Thank you both for being honest with me. I appreciate that. Goodness knows I've made a bad choice in choosing to have an affair with Larry, but thank you for not piling it on."

"Of course," Nancy said.

"We don't want to hurt you or your family," Jonathan added. 

Candice nodded.

"I've already hurt them enough," she said with another sigh. "But I can start to make amends by helping you with your story."

* * *

"See, I told you we had nothing to worry about," Dustin said with an air of satisfaction. 

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine, we were able to get into this restaurant one time," he retorted. "But we're not out of the woods yet. Until we're able to have lunch and get out of here without getting caught, then we don't have to worry about anything any more."

"Well I look forward to proving you right," Dustin said with a smirk. 

Lucas was about to open his mouth to come up with a smart reply, but the waiter returned with their order. Dustin had ordered crab legs while Lucas had decided to go for a large steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Both of their orders were served on large plates that took up the majority of their table. Once the plates were securely in place, the waiter bowed away.

"Thank you, sir," Dustin said with his trademark grin. 

The waiter smiled at Dustin before he walked away. Dustin and Lucas then turned their attention to their plates, both of them suddenly feeling ravenous.

"How do you feel now, Lucas?" Dustin asked, not able to take his eyes off the crab legs in front of him.

"Shut up and let's eat," Lucas replied, grabbing his fork and knife and immediately diving into the steak.

The two of them ate in a comfortable silence for about twenty minutes. Their plates were so long that it took them that long to eat their lunch. Once they were finally done eating, both boys sat back in their seats, both of them holding onto their stomachs and groaning slightly.

"Oh damn, I ate too much," Lucas complained. "I think I'm gonna burst.

Dustin giggled. 

"Yeah, I usually only eat that much on Thanksgiving," he said. "Oh, I think I'm never gonna want to eat again. Until tomorrow, that is."

Both boys started to laugh, but because their stomachs were full, it wasn't a pleasant experience so they stopped rather quickly. 

"Well, gentlemen, can we get you anything else? Maybe some tea to help settle your stomachs?" said the waiter, who had reappeared without the boys noticing.

"Yeah, that would be great," Dustin said, groaning slightly.

The waiter smiled at Dustin and bowed before he went to retrieve the tea. Dustin and Lucas simply sat, holding their stomachs, while they waited on the tea. Lucas actually closed his eyes and nearly fell asleep because of how warm he felt after eating. He was snapped out of it by the sound of the tea mugs being placed onto the table.

"Thank you," Lucas said, lifting his mug of tea and waving it at the waiter. He took a small swig of tea, but it was too hot for him to enjoy, so he set the mug back down.

Both boys waited until their tea had cooled off before they drank their tea. The tea helped settle their stomachs and they both felt a little better. Once the tea was gone, the waiter returned with the bill, which the boys had agreed to split. Lucas' eyes widened when he saw the total.

"Holy shit, this place is ridiculously expensive!" he exclaimed, glaring at Dustin.

"Hey, but it was worth it, wasn't it?" Dustin challenged. "Have you ever eaten such a good meal?"

"No, but I didn't expect to spend a triple digit amount on the food!"

"Just think of it as the one great expense on our much needed vacation," Dustin said as he pulled out a credit card and set it down with the bill. 

Lucas sighed and pulled out his own credit card and set it next to Dustin's. As if he were drawn in by their cards, the waiter returned and took their cards with the bill. He returned a few minutes later with the receipts for the boys to sign. The boys hurriedly signed their receipts before they both stood up, stretching their upper bodies from having been cramped for a little while.

"All right, let's get out of here and get back to our stateroom. Then you will have proved that we could get away with this," Lucas said.

Dustin smirked.

"I told you we had nothing to worry about," he said.

Dustin led Lucas through the restaurant and back to the entrance. Just as they were about to walk through the doors to leave, Dustin froze in his tracks when he saw a familiar face walking toward him, looking shocked to see Dustin.

"Hello, boys," said Mr. Clarke, looking disappointed that he was seeing Dustin and Lucas. 

"Son of a bitch," Dustin muttered. 

"I knew we were gonna get caught," Lucas hissed.

Dustin made to retort Lucas, but Mr. Clarke cut him off.

"You boys wanna explain what you were doing in that restaurant?" Mr. Clarke asked. "Because last I checked, it was only open for those 18 and older and also the last time I checked, both of you boys are under the age of 18."

"Look, Mr. Clarke..." Lucas started to say before Dustin cut him off.

"We just wanted to have a good meal," Dustin said. "I mean, we're almost 18 anyway; hell Lucas turns 18 next month. And our money is still good at this place, so does it really matter that we ate there even though we're under 18?"

Mr. Clarke didn't say anything, but simply stared at Dustin with the disappointed look on his face. 

"You can understand it, right, Mr. Clarke?" Dustin continued, starting to feel desperate. "It's not like we can afford to go on a Disney Cruise outside of getting a free trip like we did now. So we weren't ever going to experience eating at this restaurant at any other time, so is it so bad that we decided to eat there just to say that we did? We just wanted to have a good meal, Mr. Clarke. There's really no reason for you to tell Hopper, is there?"

Dustin looked hopeful as he looked at Mr. Clarke, who remained silent. Lucas started to feel uneasy and his fight or flight response was about to kick in, and Lucas was prepared to run as far as he could away from this situation. Mr. Clarke remained silent as he looked at Dustin and Lucas blankly. Finally, Mr. Clarke's face broke out into a smile.

"Well, you boys didn't hurt anyone or anything and that's the most important thing," Mr. Clarke said. "And you certainly look like you enjoyed your meals, the way both of you were holding your stomachs when you were walking to the exit."

Mr. Clarke smirked at Dustin and Lucas, who were both waiting with baited breath, as if expecting him to yell "Psyche!" at any moment and tell them he was going to tell Hopper what had happened. 

"So..." Dustin said, sounding unsure.

"So I don't have to tell Chief Hopper that I caught you boys coming out of a restricted restaurant that's only for adults," Mr. Clarke said, starting to laugh. "But I must say, your faces were certainly priceless to see when you saw me!"

Mr. Clarke started belly laughing. Dustin and Lucas glanced at each other, not sure if they wanted to believe what Mr. Clarke had said. They just watched Mr. Clarke laughing for several seconds before Mr. Clarke finally stopped and frowned at them. 

"Boys?" he asked, sounding confused. "You don't have to look so serious. I wasn't joking."

"Wait, you weren't?" asked Lucas.

Mr. Clarke shook his head.

"No, I think you boys fully understand what you did wrong," Mr. Clarke. "Based on your facial expressions, I think you boys know full well what Chief Hopper would do if he found out about you two going in there. And I think that's punishment enough."

Finally, Dustin grinned as he realized that Mr. Clarke was being serious. 

"Thank you, Mr. Clarke!" Dustin said, hardly daring to believe their luck.

"You're welcome, Dustin," Mr. Clarke. "Just don't do it again, because otherwise I'll have to tell him and I don't think you'd enjoy your punishment from him."

"Yeah, I definitely wouldn't!" Dustin said, laughing. He turned to Lucas, who still looked shell-shocked. He gave Lucas a light punch on the arm. "Come on, Lucas, lighten up!"

Lucas blinked and seemed to shake himself out of a stupor. He looked a little more relaxed, but still somewhat nervous.

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Clarke," he said absentmindedly. He turned to Dustin. "This doesn't mean you won, cause we still got caught."

Dustin rolled his eyes.

"Oh, whatever!" he groaned. "At least Hopper didn't catch us!"

* * *

Joyce handed the waitress her menu and grinned at her.

"Thank you very much," Joyce said in her kind tone. "And don't worry about it taking too long or anything since there are so many of us. We've all got a lot to talk about anyway, so the longer it takes, that's better, really."

The waitress smiled as she tucked Joyce's menu under her arm with the stack of menus the others had used.

"Well thank you, I'll keep that in mind," the waitress said. "I'll be back with some more rolls for you guys and any refills you'll need, okay?"

"Sounds great, thank you!" Joyce said.

The waitress smiled and walked away, jotting down a final note before she walked away. Joyce turned her attention to the rest of the group; everyone was seated around the table, looking much more relaxed than they had when they first boarded the ship five days earlier.

"Well, has everyone had a good time on this trip so far?" Joyce asked, looking around at all of the kids and smiling at them.

All of the kids smiled back and nodded at Joyce. 

"I know you've all been pretty busy doing your own things. I know Jim and I have been a little busy ourselves," Joyce said with a sly smile toward Jim. She and Jim had agreed earlier that they would tell the kids of their engagement at this dinner. Joyce had put away her ring before dinner so that the kids wouldn't see it and start asking about the engagement.

"Why, what have you guys been up to?" El asked with an air of sudden interest.

"Oh you'll find out in a little bit, honey," Joyce said, suddenly looking nervous that their plan wasn't going to work. She shook her head briefly before she turned to Will.

"Will, Mike, how were the Star Wars movies?"

"Yeah did you guys seriously see Mark Hamill?" Max asked.

"Wait, you did?" Dustin exclaimed.

"Yeah, haven't you seen our Instagram pages the last few days?" Mike asked, frowning at them.

"Mark was there to watch the films with us," Will explained. "It was a surprise thing that they didn't tell anyone about!"

"That's so cool!" said Joyce, beaming.

"Yeah, I gotta admit I'm kinda jealous of you boys," Jim added. "I am an OG fan of Star Wars."

"Ugh, Dad, never use the phrase 'OG' ever again, please," El said, grimacing at Jim.

The kids all laughed while Jim looked incredulous.

"Did she just call me old?" Jim asked, turning to Joyce.

"Yeah, I think she did, honey," Joyce said. "Sorry!"

Jim stuck his tongue out at El, who repeated the gesture back to him.

"Anyway, so what have you two been up to the past few days?" Joyce asked El.

"We've just been spending a lot of time together hanging out," El said. "Nothing too exciting, you know?"

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you guys have done some fun stuff! What about those stops the ship made along the way?"

"No, yeah, I mean we did see a lot of beautiful ocean at the last place where the ship docked," Max said. "We did take some cute pictures in the water. They're up on our Instagrams."

"Seriously, what's Instagram?" Joyce asked. "God, I bet that makes me sound like a dinosaur, doesn't it?"

"Not as much as Dad saying 'OG'" El said with a grin as she pulled out of her and unlocked it.

"Hey!" Jim said.

El giggled as she handed Joyce her phone. Joyce swiped through the pictures El and Max had taken when they went swimming off the ship. 

"Oh, these are great you two!" Joyce said. "You'll have to send me some of these when we get back to Hawkins. I wanna make a scrapbook of this trip we all took together. And that goes for the rest of you as well!" Joyce added, looking around at the other kids.

"Well, there won't be much from me and Nance, Mom," Jonathan said.

"Oh?"

"You know, cause we've been busy with the story about the mayor and all."

"That's right. How did all of that go? Did you guys get the story?"

Jonathan turned to Nancy, grinning.

"Oh, you want me to tell the story?" Nancy asked.

"Well, you are the reporter in our little duo," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, but you did some reporting work too, making those phone calls."

"Take it away, Nance," Jonathan said with a grin. 

"All right," Nancy said, rolling her eyes and grinning before she turned to Joyce. "Well, we definitely got proof of the mayor's affair. And we got a little more."

"Tell me!" Jim said, suddenly sounding incredibly interested in the conversation now that they were talking about Larry Kline. 

"Well, as it turns out, the mayor has been using city funds to help pay for his affair," Nancy said. "He's paid for meals, movie theatre tickets and he even paid for this trip using city funds."

"Holy shit," Jim said, his eyes widening. "You got all of that?"

Nancy nodded, looking immensely proud of herself.

"Yeah, and we even got Candice Brooke to talk after we told her that Mayor Kline was using city funds," she said. "With her testimony, it looks like Hawkins will be searching for a new mayor as soon as this story breaks."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Joyce said, beaming. "Congratulations on getting the story! I mean, you guys do get credit for it, don't you?"

"We think it's gonna be more of a team piece," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, we'll share bylines with the other reporters who have worked on this story from the beginning. It'll be a collaborative effort."

"Well, I think that certainly deserves a toast," Joyce said, raising her glass of wine. Everyone else mimicked her, picking up whatever drink they had with them. "To Jonathan and Nancy, rockstar reporters for The Hawkins Post!"

"Jonathan and Nancy!" everyone echoed before they all raised their glasses a little higher and took a drink in Jonathan and Nancy's honor. Jonathan looked somewhat embarrassed while Nancy had started to blush.

"Okay, enough about us now," Nancy said, laughing shakily.

Joyce chuckled appreciatively as she turned to Dustin and Lucas. Dustin looked rather bored while Lucas was shifting in his seat, looking slightly nervous. 

"How about you guys?" Joyce asked. 

"We uh..." Lucas started to say before Dustin cut him off.

"We've just been hanging out, seeing what all there is to do on the ship, you know," Dustin said quickly. "We've caught a couple of shows that were pretty cool."

"Yeah they were cool. And we ran into Mr. Clarke again."

"Oh yeah?" Joyce asked, looking bemused. "This ship seems a little large to be running into people you know unless it's intentional.

"Yeah, I guess we just got lucky," Dustin said with a grin. 

"Yeah, I guess so," Joyce said before she turned to look at the others. "So, tomorrow is the last full day on the ship. I know we're all probably a little sad about it, but does anyone have any big plans?"

Everyone kind of shrugged at her, none of them revealing any plans for the next day. Joyce smiled at them.

"Well, that's good because Jim and I actually have big plans that we all want you to be a part of, if that's all right?"

"Anything, Mom," Will said.

"Yeah, we can help with whatever," Jonathan said.

Joyce smiled as the other kids all nodded at her as well. 

"Well, I'm glad to hear that because this is very important to both Jim and me." Joyce paused and took a deep breath before she continued. "So, the big announcement we have to make first is this: Jim and I are engaged!"

Dustin nearly spit out the water he had been drinking. Mike had to quickly stop his own glass from spilling. Max dropped the knife she had been using to butter the roll she was about to eat. Meanwhile, everyone else was staring at Joyce, stunned. Joyce was beaming at them as there was a brief silence before anyone said anything.

"Oh my god, that's wonderful!" El exclaimed. "Congratulations you guys!"

"That's awesome!" Jonathan added.

"Wait, does that mean you proposed, Jim?" asked Will. 

"He did," Joyce said, nodding as she reached into her purse and pulled out the ring. "He surprised me at the karaoke party we went to the night before last with us singing my favorite Disney love song before he proposed!"

"Jim, you romantic son of a gun!" Nancy exclaimed, beaming at Joyce. "That's how you do a proposal!"

"What can I say, I'm a natural romantic," Jim said, standing up and taking an exaggerated bow before he sat back down.

"So, when are you guys gonna tie the knot?" Max asked excitedly.

"Well, that's actually why we wanted to talk to you guys," Joyce said. "We were hoping we could get married tomorrow while we're all here together!"

"A Disney wedding?" Mike asked.

"Exactly!" said Joyce. "We have most everything that we need. They have a small area we can use for the ceremony that doesn't cost much to rent out for a couple of hours, so that's covered. We don't need a fancy wedding or anything, so you guys are welcome to wear whatever as long as you all look nice."

She glared at Dustin and Lucas for a moment here before she smiled and went on.

"And we were hoping you guys could help with the wedding," she went on.

"How can we help?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, honey, we'd like for you to be our photographer since you've got the equipment for it."

"Of course!" Jonathan said quickly. "I'll get everything ready tonight and charge the battery overnight so it's ready to go!"

Joyce smiled as Jim turned to Will.

"And Will, I was hoping you'd do me the pleasure of being my best man," Jim asked, looking a little nervous.

"Yeah, of course!" Will exclaimed, smiling at Jim. "I'd be honored to."

"See, I told you had nothing to worry about asking him!" Joyce said with a satisfied smirk. "And El, sweetheart, I was hoping you could be my maid of honor, this way all of our kids can be directly involved in the wedding party."

"I'd love to," El said, looking happy and beaming brightly. 

"And we'd really like the rest of you guys to be there," Joyce said. "You're all important members of our extended family, along with Steve, Robyn and Bianca and Chris and his family! We were thinking you guys could like hold your phones up with them on FaceTime so they can watch the wedding too."

"Oh heck yeah, Mrs. Byers!" Dustin exclaimed. "I'll have Steve go over to Robyn and Bianca's place so they can watch! I'll text him right now!"

Dustin pulled out his phone and started typing out a text message. 

"Yeah, I can call Chris and let him and his parents know about it and have them on my phone," said Lucas, pulling out his phone too.

"Great, thank you guys so much!" Joyce said.

"And how about us?" Nancy asked, gesturing to Mike and herself. "How can we help?"

"Well, you guys can be with Dustin and Lucas while they hold their phones with the others," Joyce said. "You guys can round out our little audience of viewers."

"I think we can do that," Nancy said. 

"Yeah, no problem," Mike added, sounding a little downtrodden, which went unnoticed by anyone except for Will. "I'll just be happy to be there. You guys deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Awww, thank you, sweetie," Joyce said as she wiped away a tear. "There, now you've all gone and made me emotional. Thank you all for doing this for us. We both really appreciate it."

"Yeah, thank you, kids," Jim said. "I know it's last minute, so it's extra special that you're all agreeing to do this for us."

Will held up his glass again.

"To Mom and Jim," he said.

Everyone picked up their glasses again and raised them.

"Joyce and Jim!" everyone yelled.

They all took a drink from their glasses. Joyce was smiling with tears in her eyes as she looked at Will and blew a kiss in his direction, which Will returned. 

* * *

Will looked around the boat deck for a sign of Mike. His best friend had texted him to meet him outside after dinner when Will had gone with El to Jim and Joyce's room to plan out the wedding for the next day. Mike hadn't said what he wanted, but Will had guessed it was serious based on the text he had gotten and the way Mike had been somewhat quiet after Joyce announced the engagement and wedding. 

It was a peaceful night out. The temperature was just right; Will could comfortably walk around the boat deck without a jacket on and he would be just fine. There was hardly any wind as well and the moon lit the ocean around the ship. Will had no time to enjoy it as he searched for Mike. Finally, he spotted Mike leaning on a railing, staring out into the ocean. Will only spotted Mike because Mike was standing under a light that illuminated him enough for Will to see him. Will hurried over to his friend. 

"Hey Mike," Will said in a soft voice when he reached Mike.

Mike sat up from leaning on the railing and turned to face Will. He had a blank expression on his face.

"Thanks for coming, Will," he said.

"Yeah, of course. Is something on your mind, Mike? You seemed pretty quiet at dinner.

Mike sighed deeply and went back to staring at the ocean for a few moments. Will approached the railing so he was right next to Mike. The close contact was comforting to him, despite Mike's less than warm demeanor.

"I know it's kinda stupid," Mike said suddenly. "But I just feel like your....you know, Jim, doesn't like me very much."

Will frowned.

"Why would you say that, Mike?"

Mike shrugged.

"I guess, I just wish that I could be more directly involved with their wedding," Mike said. "I know it's kinda stupid and all, but your Mom is like a second Mom to me, Will. And I feel like I'm not doing enough just by showing up for their wedding."

"Oh, Mikey," Will said, reaching over and resting his hand on top of Mike's. He noticed the ghost of a smile appear on Mike's face. "Trust me, there's not much more for you to do. Mom even asked if something like that was on your mind. She can read you just like I can and she saw that you were quiet at dinner. I told her it probably was on your mind and you know what she said?"

Mike shook his head.

"That she was happy that you could be there to see the wedding," Will answered. "And that you would be there with me. She loves you like a son, you know?"

Mike grinned.

"Yeah, I think I've noticed that," he said.

"So you don't have to worry, Mike. And don't worry about Jim, either. Yeah, I'm sure he's not your biggest fan since you and El broke up, but he'll come around. Trust me. If he doesn't, El and I will make him."

Both boys giggled at this for several moments. When they were quiet again, they both looked out to the sea, admiring the ocean view under the moonlit sky. If Will didn't know any better, he would've thought that Mike had chosen this spot for their meeting intentionally. It was certainly a Mike thing to do. 

"Do you remember the first day we met?" Mike asked suddenly, turning to look at Will. 

"Yeah, of course I do, Mike," Will replied. "I'll always remember that day."

Mike smiled as he looked deep into Will's eyes, taking a deep breath before he continued.

"It was the first day of kindergarten," he said in a soft voice as tears formed in his eyes. "I knew nobody. I had no friends. Mom and Nancy kept insisting that I would make a friend, but I just felt so alone and scared. And yeah I saw you in class that day at the table, but I was too shy to say anything then. But then I saw you on the swings and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself and I just walked up to you and I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend."

Mike paused for a moment as he sniffled. Will remained silent, unsure where this conversation was going, but his heart was beating rapidly.

"And you said yes," Mike said as if he still couldn't believe it to this day. "You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done, Will."

Will felt his heart swell to twice its normal size as Mike looked at him in a way he never had.

"It was the best thing I've ever done, too, Mikey," Will said softly.

Mike beamed at Will and pulled him in for a hug. They held onto each other tightly for several seconds before Mike broke the hug. 

"You made me feel so happy that day, Will," Mike said. "I had no idea it was possible to feel that happy. I never wanted that feeling to go away. And you know what? After all these years, it hasn't gone away. It's still just as strong as it was on the day we met."

Mike smiled as he let out a small sob. 

"Sorry, I don't mean to get so emotional like this," he said hurriedly.

"No, don't worry about it, Mike," Will said as he brushed away the tears that were falling down Mike's face. "I'm glad that you can be so honest with me."

"Yeah, honest," Mike said, taking several deep breaths as he looked anxious once again. "Yeah. So, if I'm being honest with you, Will, then I have to say this: I think, no scratch that. I know that that feeling is one of love. When I've heard people describe love, the first person I think of is you. Every single time. Even when El and I were together and we talked about love or, you know, I read something about love, the first person I thought of was you.

"I love you, Will Byers," Mike said, fighting to keep the shakiness out of his voice. "I love you with all of my heart." Mike chuckled briefly. "God, it feels so weird to actually so those words out loud, but it's the truth. I love you, Will. And I understand if you don't feel the same way or anything..."

Mike was cut off by Will pulling Mike forward and pressing their lips together. It was like coming home for the first time for both of them. The kiss was a little messy because they had both been crying, but it could not have been more perfect for either one of them. Both boys were smiling into the kiss and held each other so gently it was almost like they weren't touching one another at all. When Will broke the kiss because he needed air, Mike kept his eyes closed and his mouth parted slightly as if he were in a trance. When Mike finally realized Will's lips were no longer on his, he snapped out of it and closed his mouth, blushing profusely. Will chose to ignore Mike's embarrassment. 

"I love you, too, Mike," Will said.

Mike's eyes widened as Will smiled at him and held onto Mike. Mike took a few shaky breaths before he spoke again.

"Thank god," Mike said, leaning forward and pulling Will in to another kiss. This one didn't last as long, but it was every bit as perfect as the first. When they broke the kiss, both boys kept their arms wrapped around each other.

"I love you so much, Will. Oh my god! I can't believe this is true!"

"Well, you'd better believe it!" Will said with a grin. "Cause you're stuck with me for life, Mike Wheeler! Because I love you. I love you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! This is the last main chapter of the story, but there is an epilogue! Although right now it needs some work done to it, as I want it to end on a more satisfying note than it already does. Each pairing will have a closing scene, and the final scene of the story will be Jim and Joyce's wedding, which you won't want to miss. Since I'm going to do some additional writing, it my take longer than normal for me to get the epilogue up, but stay tuned!


	6. Epilogue: The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Jim and Joyce's wedding coming right up, Mike and Will decide if they will tell their friends and family that they're together.

Will stirred in the bed. He was faced toward the veranda and the sun was just starting to creep in through the door. Will squinted as he tried to avoid getting hit with the sunlight. He could still feel Mike’s arms wrapped around him and he smiled to himself.

“Good morning,” Mike said gently.

“You’re awake before me?” Will asked as he rolled around to face Mike. “Must be a miracle.” 

“Damn, dragging me before I’ve even properly gotten up and out of bed,” Mike said with a laugh. “Must be a record.”

“Well, someone has to.”

Mike laughed again as he leaned forward and gave Will a kiss. They both felt warm and cozy, neither wanting to get up and have to start doing anything. 

“We should probably get ready for breakfast,” Will said once they had finally stopped kissing.

“No! We can skip! Our bed is more comfortable!” Mike protested.

Will giggled.

“Come on, Mikey, you know you’re gonna be grumpy during the wedding if you don’t eat something soon.”

Mike groaned and buried his face further into his pillow.

“No, I’ll be fine!” Mike complained, though Will could tell he was trying to hide a smile. “Let’s just stay here until they yell at us to get to the wedding!”

“And have Mom filet us alive for not looking our best? No thanks!”

“Would your Mom really do that?”

Before Will could answer, he was distracted by his phone, which was ringing with an incoming FaceTime message. He leaned over to the nightstand and picked up his phone and saw the message was coming from Chris.

“You’d be surprised,” Will said to Mike before he slid his finger across the phone to answer the call. “Hey, cousin!”

“Morning, Will! God, I still can’t believe I won the bet with my parents! Sorry to call so early, but I just wanted to check in.”

“Oh, it’s fine, I was just trying to convince Mike here that he’d better go get breakfast, otherwise he’s gonna be grumpy during the wedding later!”

“No I won’t!” Mike groaned, his face half-covered by a pillow now.

“Sorry, Mike, I’m gonna have to agree with Will here,” Chris said. “I’ve seen you when you’ve skipped a meal and good lord you’re quite a character without the most important meal of the day.”

“Well ha, ha, ha,” Mike said sarcastically as he sat up to look at Chris. “You’re oh so funny, Chris.”

“I know I am,” Chris said with a smirk. “And by the way, you two seem rather comfortable with each other.”

Mike and Will hesitated for a moment, glancing at each other before they turned back to look at Chris. Will cleared his throat and spoke.

“We, uh...we finally got together last night.”

“Well, it’s about damn time!” Chris said, sounding amused and looking smug. “It took you both long enough to finally get together!”

“Yeah, yeah, no gloating,” Will said. “But, thank you for your help in pushing us toward it. Mike told me last night that he came to you just like I did.”

“Hey, anything to make sure my cousin and best friend are happy is definitely a priority in my book. I’m really happy for you guys.” Chris beamed at the boys. “Have you guys told everyone else yet?”

“Not yet,” Will said. “It feels like it’s a weird time for us to confess we’re together. This day is about Mom and Jim, after all.”

“Yeah, we talked about it last night,” Mike added. “We don’t want to impose on their day.”

Mike and Will were sure they could almost  _ hear _ Chris’ eyes rolling.

“Oh come  _ on _ , you guys!” Chris said, exasperated. “You’re not taking away from Joyce and Jim by announcing that you’re together. If anything, you’re making the day that more special by adding some more love to it. Besides, don’t you two want to dance together at the wedding? Everyone would probably figure it out anyway if you did.”

Will and Mike shared another glance before they burst into laughter.

“God, I can’t believe we didn’t think of that!” Mike said. “Of course we’re gonna dance together at the wedding! We gotta tell them!”

“What would we do without you, Chris?” Will asked.

“Probably lose your damn minds,” Chris said, still sounding amused. “Now y’all better go down to breakfast and tell everyone you’re together so they’re not all confused when they see you dancing together!”

* * *

Mike nudged Will when everyone had filled their plates at the breakfast buffet and sat down at the table. Will cleared his throat and the others turned to face him.

“Hey, everyone, um...Mike and I have an announcement,” Will said.

Mike squeezed Will’s hand in reassurance, lacing their fingers together. Will took a deep breath before he spoke again.

“We didn’t want you all to go to the wedding without knowing, so here it goes: Mike and I are together. We’re dating!”

There was a beat before there was any response. 

“That’s wonderful, boys!” Joyce exclaimed, leaping up and hurrying to the boys and planting a kiss on both of their cheeks!

“Congratulations, boys!” said Hopper.

“Took you guys long enough!” Max said.

“Look who’s talking!” said Dusting with a laugh. “But seriously, guys, congrats!”

“Yeah, you guys, this is great!” said Lucas.

“I’m really happy for you two,” El said in a sincere tone. “I know you guys are going to be great for each other.”

“Welcome to the Wheeler dating a Byers club, little brother,” said Nancy with a smirk.

“Damn, now it’s no longer exclusive,” said Jonathan. “But since we like you guys, we’ll let you in.” 

Will beamed at his family and friends, knowing that they accepted him and Mike fully and without conditions. He turned to look at Mike, who looked like he was on the verge of crying happy tears. 

“I guess we had nothing to worry about,” Will whispered in Mike’s ear before he gave Mike a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, I guess so” Mike said, sounding happier than Will had ever heard him. 

* * *

Will walked out of the dressing room of the store where he and El had ventured in order to find Will a dress shirt that would match El’s in color. Though Joyce had insisted that Will didn’t need to buy a new outfit just for the wedding, Will had overruled her, saying that he wanted to match El since they would be walking down the aisle together at the end of the ceremony.

El’s dress was a light aquatic blue, so Will’s dress shirt was similar in color. Will had neatly folded the dress shirt and was carrying it with both hands as he walked up to the register, where El was waiting for him. He placed the dress shirt on the counter and turned to El.

“It fits perfectly, so we’ve definitely found it,” he reported proudly to his soon-to-be stepsister. He then turned to the clerk at the counter. “We’ll take this one,” he said to the clerk. 

The clerk nodded and started to enter in the order. Will turned back to face El.

“Thank you for what you said at breakfast,” he said in a gentle voice. “That meant a lot to me and I know it meant the world to Mike.”

“I was happy to say it, Will, because I meant it,” El said with a warm smile. “I know how much the two of you mean to one another and how good you’ll be for each other. I think I’ve always known how much you two love each other. It’s always been obvious.”

Will thanked the clerk after paying her and took the bag the clerk had put the dress shirt in. He and El slowly walked through the store and toward the exit, continuing their conversation.

“So you knew when you and Mike were dating?” Will asked, frowning.

“I think I knew it on a subconscious level,” El explained. “You and Mike have always been the closest amongst us. I think that when Mike wanted to spend a lot of time with you instead of me at prom, I knew. And that’s why I broke it off, to nudge both of you in the right direction.”

“I’m sorry, El,” Will started to say, but El cut him off.

“I’ve already forgiven you and him, Will, it’s okay,” El said, giving Will’s hand a squeeze. “Besides, I’m happy with Max and I know how happy both of you are. In the end it all worked and none of us got hurt any more than we needed to be, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right, of course,” Will said with a smile as they walked out of the store and back in the direction of their staterooms. 

* * *

“Damn, Mike, don’t you clean up nice!” Dustin said as Mike walked back into Dustin, Lucas and Jonathan’s stateroom from showering and changing into his wedding outfit in the bathroom.

The three boys were getting ready together. Jonathan was off setting up his photography equipment before everyone arrived for the wedding, giving the boys free reign of the room while they got ready. Will was off helping Max and El get ready. 

“Oh why thank you,” Mike said in a mock fancy voice. “I’m just glad I had a thought to pack something nice to wear. I wouldn’t mind buying something new if I hadn’t already spent so much money on other things on this trip.”

“I hear you there,” said Lucas. “I’m ready to go back to having Mom and Dad pay for meals for this last year. You don’t realize how much that stuff is until you have to pay for it yourself.”

“No kidding,” Mike said. He hesitated for a moment. “Listen, you guys, thanks for not giving me too much grief over dating Will.”

“Are you joking?” Dustin exclaimed. “We’re happy you guys finally got over yourselves and decided to do it!”

“Yeah, we thought you guys would’ve started dating way before El and Max ever did!” added Lucas.

Mike laughed.

“Well, sorry to make you guys wait, but better late than never, right?”

Dustin and Lucas nodded at that.

“So, what have you guys been up to on this trip? I feel like I haven’t seen you guys that much. You said you’ve ran into Mr. Clarke a few times?”

“Yeah, about that…” Dustin said and then he relayed the tale of how he and Lucas had tried to get into the restaurant, finally succeeding, only to be caught by Mr. Clarke.

When Dustin was finished telling Mike what had happened, Mike burst into a huge laughing fit. He was laughing hard and having a little trouble breathing, but he eventually managed to calm down and took a breath.

“Jesus Chris, of all the luck in the world, y’all had to go and get caught by Mr. Clarke. Lord, that’s too good of a story to tell!”

“No, you can’t tell anyone!” Lucas shrieked.

“Oh, don’t worry, I fully expect you both to tell the story to everyone before I do. Besides, Mr. Clarke may not let you guys live this one down!”

Dustin and Lucas groaned. 

* * *

"Deep breaths, Mom, deep breaths," Will said as he and Joyce waited for their cue to enter the room where Joyce and Jim's wedding ceremony was going to be held.

"I know, honey," Joyce said as she took a deep breath. She was dressed in a long emerald green dress. Although she had gotten married before in the traditional white dress, she told everyone that she would rather wear something that was more special to her during this wedding. 

"Well, that's our cue," Will said as he saw Mike waving them in. "Are you ready for this?"

"Not really," Joyce groaned. "But I can’t wait any longer, so we might as well go in."

Will chuckled as he and Joyce locked arms before Max opened the doors to let them into the room. Max stepped away from the doors and hurried over to stand with Mike, Nancy, Dustin and Lucas. Dustin and Lucas were both holding up their phones so that Steve, Robyn, Bianca, Chris and Chris' parents could all watch the ceremony from their homes. 

Mother and son slowly walked down to the aisle, both of them beaming at their witnesses. They paused midway down the aisle to let Jonathan step in front of them and take a picture of them. Jonathan was crying lightly, but his arms were steady as he took several shots of Will and Joyce before he stepped aside to let them continue to the altar. 

Jim and El were waiting at the altar. Jim was dressed in a green dress shirt that rivaled Joyce's, but he had left the suit jacket off so their colors could be seen together. 

Will grinned at Mike, who blushed slightly, as they walked by him. 

When Will and Joyce reached the altar, they unlinked arms so that Will could take his place at the altar beside Jim. Will gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before he turned and gave Jim a hug before he walked behind Jim and stood in place.

"You look beautiful, my love," Jim said as he took Joyce's hand in his own. It sounded like Jim was trying extra hard not to cry. 

Joyce smiled at him.

"You clean up pretty nicely yourself, honey."

Both of them chuckled as they turned to face the minister, as did Will and El.

The minister was smiling brightly at them.

"We're all gathered here today, from far and wide and nearby," he said. "And it's so wonderful to have guests who can watch from home," he added, gesturing to the phones that Dustin and Lucas were holding up. "We are here to witness the vows that Jim and Joyce will share with each other as they begin their life as one. Now, aside from the differing opinions on how long the two of them have been dating..."

"Definitely since high school!" Jim said.

Joyce scoffed.

"Oh, he certainly wishes that!" she said with a grin.

Everyone in the room chuckled.

"Besides this minor discrepancy, we are all here to support you, and we wish you all of the joy and happiness that true love brings," the minister continued. "There is a wonderful poem that I think summarizes not only marriage, but also family. What family should mean to everyone and hopefully what your family will mean to both of you."

Jim and Joyce stole a glance at each other, both of them smiling widely. 

"'Love isn't perfect. It isn't a fairy tale or a storybook. And it doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles and facing challenges. Love is fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. It is a short word; easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without. But most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, every second of it was worth it. Because you did it together.'"

Everyone clapped when the minister finished the poem. Dustin and Lucas both whistled loudly, causing Max to elbow them both in the ribs. 

"And now we will hear the vows that Jim and Joyce have written for each other. We'll start with Joyce first."

Joyce turned to hand El the flowers she had been carrying while El gave Joyce Jim's wedding band. Joyce took Jim's hands in her own before she started to place the ring onto Jim's hand as she spoke.

"When I was a little girl, I read so many stories about people falling in love," Joyce said, keeping her voice steady. “There were people who fell in love with the one they were meant to be with, and there were those who fell in love with the wrong person. I thought I was destined to be in that second group. And that was until I gave you a chance, Jim. When you and I got together, I saw how full of life you are and I found myself falling in love with you. That little girl inside of me realized that there was someone for me in this world who I was meant to be with. And that person is you."

At this, Joyce's voice started to break slightly, but she pressed on.

"You're a piece of work, Jim Hopper," she said. "But you're my piece of work. I accept you, every single thing that makes you who are, from now until the end of time. I love you."

"And now we will hear from Jim," said the minister. 

Jim turned to Will, who handed him the ring and patted Jim on the shoulder, smiling widely. Jim gently picked up Joyce's hand and placed her ring onto her finger as he spoke.

"Well, I may not be quite as eloquent as you, dear, but I'll give it my best shot," he said.

Everyone in the room burst into laughter at Jim's joke. Joyce was crying happy tears as she laughed and beamed as she looked into Jim's eyes.

"Joyce, you are the person I had been waiting for all my life. I may not have known that I was waiting for you, but I know that now. And I am so proud to be standing up here in front of our friends and family and our children to make sure they know just how lucky I feel to have found you. And just how much I love you."

Jim started to cry as he finished reciting his vows. He gave Joyce a kiss on the hand as they both turned back to face the minister, who was beaming at them.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think it's high time somebody kissed somebody around here, don't you think?"

Jim and Joyce both chuckled while everyone watching them laughed as well. They turned to face each other and Jim cupped his hands on Joyce's cheeks before he leaned in and they kissed. As soon as their lips touched, everyone started cheering loudly for them. Once they broke apart, the cheering died down, except for Chris and his parents.

"It's about time!" they all shouted from their house.

Jim and Joyce's laughs were the loudest of the bunch at this declaration. They both waved at the phone and Chris and his parents waved back, all of them beaming brightly.

"I am now proud to declare Jim and Joyce bonded for life!" the minister exclaimed!

The rest of the room cheered loudly as Jim and Joyce turned around and waved at them. Jonathan quickly bent down in front of them to get a picture of them at the altar as newlyweds before he stepped aside and let them pass. Will and El locked arms and started walking down the aisle behind Jim and Joyce. Jonathan and Nancy caught up to each other and locked arms. Once Will and El reached Mike and Max, they unlinked arms and went to join their partners. 

Mike pulled Will into a hug when Will reached him.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Mike exclaimed. "You guys are finally one big happy family!"

"Yeah we are," Will replied, beaming.

Then, the minister announced that the reception would then begin. Following a quick first dance between the newlyweds, the opening notes from  _ Open Arms _ by Journey began to play. Jim and Joyce motioned for the others to join them. Jonathan and Nancy immediately got up to dance, but Dustin and Lucas just stood there awkwardly. El and Max noticed the two boys standing and hurried over to them. El pulled Dustin toward the dance floor, while Max went with Lucas. Once they were all dancing, Will turned to Mike, who was smiling warmly at him.

“You ready?” Will asked.

Mike nodded, lacing his and Will’s hands together and walking out to join the others on the dance floor. As the lyrics to the song played, Mike and Will started dancing in time to the music, with Will’s arms on Mike’s shoulders, while Mike rested his hands on Will’s waist. 

“I’m so glad you were here today,” Will said, just loud enough for Mike to hear him over the music. “Even if they hadn’t gotten married here on the cruise, I couldn’t imagine going to their wedding without you.”

“Me neither,” Mike admitted. “You all have always been my second family. It would’ve felt wrong if I hadn’t come here.”

“I love you so much, Mike.”

“I love you, too, Will.” 

The two of them kissed as they continued to sway in time to the music. Soon, Will rested his head on Mike’s shoulders and Mike rested his head on top of Will’s.

“Crazy together forever, Mike.”

Mike smiled.

“Yeah, Will, crazy together forever.”

They held each other closely as they danced to the song, which was playing the final chorus.

_ So now I come to you, with open arms  
_ _ Nothing to hide, believe what I say  
_ _ So here I am, with open arms  
_ _ Hoping you’ll see what your love means to me  
_ _ Open Arms. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, my lovelies: the end of this story. And it's on my birthday, too!
> 
> Thank you to all who have read, left kudos and reviewed this story. It means a lot to me!
> 
> I've had the idea of this story in my head for about a year now. Although elements of the story changed over time, the basic premise of the Stranger Things cast on a cruise ship where love blossoms remained the same throughout. 
> 
> I'm still gonna be updating some fics over the next few weeks before jumping in to the one-shots some of you have sent me. Stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, everyone it's here at last: my NaNoWriMo 2019 project! Enjoy, my lovelies! 
> 
> Come yell at/follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)
> 
> You can also follow me [on Twitter](http://twitter.com/_tj_rigg) but just know that I'm super political on there, so don't follow me if you don't like politics.


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